Her Prophecy
by Wolfy-tan
Summary: -FemLuffy- Lucy has a dream of being the Pirate Queen that she will do anything to fulfill, but soon her gathered crew begins to suspect there's more to her than a cheerful rubber girl... -ZoroXFemLuffy-
1. Lucy and Shanks!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello, new readers! I was inspired to start this story after reading some Fem!Luffy stories, and I noticed there was a lack of them in the One Piece fanfiction, so I thought 'Why not?' and started typing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 1: Lucy and Shanks!**_

"Everyone listen up! I ain't jokin' around! You'll see! I'll prove it to ya!" The Red-Haired pirates looked up to see Lucy standing on the top of the ship with a small sword. All the pirates looked at each other and exchanged amused expressions. All of them were thinking things like, 'Lucy's going to do something stupid again' or 'This'll be good'. Lucy raised the small, kid-like sword and stabbed her cheek.

"OOOUCH!"

"Lucy!"

"What the hell, Lucy!"

"Oh God Lucy!"

"OOOWW!"

~.~

"Cheers to Lucy's craziness and our greatness!" Shanks yelled and everyone cheered. Inside everyone was yelling and cheering and arguing over small things. Lucy sat on a stool next to Shanks.

"Why'd you have to do something so silly? That'll probably scar your cheek!" Makino, the bar owner, teased, but her face then grew more serious. "What will your mother think of this?"

"I don't care!" Lucy said. "It's not like I listen to her or the rest of my family; if I did, I wouldn't of sneaked out to come here, nor would I of for the whole year."

"But don't you love her?" Makino asked.

"Of course I do!" Lucy exclaimed. She looked down sadly. "I just...none of them will let me follow my dream." She turned to Shanks.

"Why won't you take me out to sea with you guys? I want to be a pirate, too!" the seven-year-old pouted. Shanks howled with laughter, "You? A pirate? You can't even swim! That's a major disadvantage to a pirate in the middle of the ocean!" Lucy glared at him.

"As long as I stayed onboard the ship, I'll be fine! Besides, I'm a great fighter!" Lucy exclaimed. Shanks chuckled, "Oh, really?"

Lucy nodded vigorously, "My punches are so strong; they're like pistols!" Lucy exaggerated.

Shanks gave a bored look, "…Pistols? Oh, really?"

Lucy fumed, "What's with that tone?" The other pirates came over and started dancing.

"Cheer up, Lucy! The life of a pirate is great!" one exclaimed.

"Yeah! You can go anywhere at anytime!" another cheered.

"There's nothing greater than the life of freedom!" a third yelled.

"Whaa…" Lucy awed. Shanks frowned.

"Stop putting all of these fantasies in her head, guys." Shanks said.

"But it's the truth, isn't it?" a crew member asked.

"It is!" another replied.

"Come on, Shanks, take her with us. It won't hurt for her to tag along." One of the sitting crew members suggested. The others agreed.

Shanks smirked, "Okay, she can come when one of you give up your place on my ship."

"Well, we've said too much haven't we? Let's go drink!"

Lucy fumed yet again, "What kind of friends are you guys? !"Shanks laughed.

"Hey, hey. Calm down Lu. Here, have some juice," he said, handing her a cup of apple juice.

"Gee, thanks Shanks!" Lucy thanked as she chugged the apple juice. Shanks began cracking up, "Since when do pirates drink juice?" he exclaimed with tears in his eyes. Everyone else laughed.

"What a dirty trick!" Lucy yelled, fuming (again).

"Come on, Lu," Shanks said. "Who will take your responsibilities if you just run off to be a pirate?"

"Even you don't understand," Lucy pouted, crossing her arms childishly. Shanks looked at her.

"But I guess, following your dream is more important than blindly following stupid rules," Shanks grinned. Lucy also grinned.

"Would you like something to eat, Lucy-chan?" Makino asked. Lucy shook her head, resting her elbow on the ledge, her hand holding up her head.

"Hey Shanks," Lucy said.

"Hmm?" Shanks replied, his faced stuffed with food.

"How long do you plan to stay?" Lucy asked. Shanks took a minute to chew, and then dramatically swallowed, "Well, we've been using this place for a base for almost a year. I plan to set north soon, after I set sail a couple more times."

"A couple more times…" Lucy pondered, "I'll learn to swim by then."

"Alright!" Shanks said.

Suddenly the door slammed open and a group of bandits entered, "Excuse me!" a man who seemed to be the leader said, walking up and slamming his hand on the bar, "We are bandits," he said bluntly, "but we're not looking for trouble. I'd like to buy ten barrels of sake."Makino, slightly frightened, replied, "I'm sorry, it seems we're out of sake."The man gave a disagreeing look as he looked around, "Oh really? What are they drinking then? Is it water?" he asked.

"It's sake," replied Shanks.

"But that was the last of it," Makino added quickly.

"Sorry, it seems we've dried this place," Shanks said, holding up a bottle of sake, "However, if you'd like, you can have the last bottle." The man eyed it, grabbed it, and whacked Shanks with it, sake spilling everywhere. A silence spread through the bar.

"Just who do you think I am? Don't take me lightly," he said, a scowl of arrogance marking his face.

Shanks looked at the floor, "Oh no, now the floor is all wet."

The man held up a wanted poster of himself, "See this? My head is worth eight million Berries. Now that you know who I am, don't mess with us again. After all, mountain bandits and sea pirates don't exactly go together."

Meanwhile, Shanks got down and started picking up broken pieces, "Sorry 'bout this, Makino. Do you have a mop?"

"O-oh, no, that's okay, I'll clean it up," Makino replied. The man and his men with his final words being, "Haha, later, chickens." Once he left, Makino immediately rushed to Shanks, "Are you okay, Captain? Are you hurt?" Shanks merely raised his hand at her, then said, "I'm fine… *Phew*," He said with relief. All of the crewmembers started howling with laughter.

"Haha, our captain looked so stupid!"

"He fixed you up good, captain!" The crewmembers howled. Shanks joined in. Lucy clenched her fists, her temper quickly rising.

"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?" Lucy yelled. Everyone grew silent, "That was disgraceful! Why didn't you fight them? Who cares if he had more men? You're not a man, nor a pirate!"

Shanks just stared at her, "Look I know how you feel, but—" she didn't listen as she stormed out. He grabbed her arm, refusing to let go, "Come on, Lu...!"

"I don't want to see a coward like you ever again!" she said, stomping away. Then a very strange thing happened. Her arm stretched. It stretched. Everyone started sweating bullets.

"I-it can't be…" Shanks muttered.

"AAH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Lucy panicked, flailing about.

"THE DEVIL FRUIT IS GONE!" one of the crewmembers yelled. Everyone became more nervous, for they knew what happened. Shanks pointed at the box, "You didn't eat this, did you Lucy?" the Shanks said in a hushed tone.

"Y-yeah! It looked interesting, so I ate it! But it tasted horrible…" Lucy responded.

"TH-THAT WAS THE RUBBER FRUIT! IT WAS ONE OF THE FRUITS OF THE DEVIL! WHOEVER EATS IT TURNS TO RUBBER AND CAN NEVER SWIM!" exclaimed Shanks.

"N-NO WAY!" Lucy said, her jaw hitting the floor (literally).

"YOU IDIOOOT!" Shanks yelled.

"MY MOM WILL KILL ME WHEN SHE FINDS OUUUT!"

"THAT'S YOUR FAULT, YOU IDIOT!"

~.~

A while after the Red-Haired pirates left, it was just Makino and Lucy in the bar.

"They left a while, now. Do you feel lonely, Lucy-chan?" Makino asked. Lucy chugged her milk, "No, I'm still not over that bandit incident. I over-estimated Shanks; I thought he was a tough, strong pirate. How disappointing." Makino smiled, "Oh, really? I thought he was very brave to just laugh it off when he was picked on."

Lucy shook her head, "You just don't understand. It's times like those where you're supposed to fight back."

Makino giggled, "Well, then, I guess I don't understand much about that type of stuff." Lucy merely stared at the now empty milk glass. Suddenly the door opened.

"Excuse me."

Makino and Lucy turned to see the mountain bandits. Lucy just stared at them, _'after acting in such a way, they have the nerve to come back in here?'_

All the bandits shuffled to the tables, filling the whole place up. The leader banged his hand on the table, "What are you waiting for? We're customers! Get us some sake!"

~.~

"Chief!" Makino panicked, "Something horrible happened!"

"What? What happened?" he asked.

"Lucy-chan was captured by those bandits!"

~.~

"Let me go!" Lucy yelled, throwing a tantrum. She was kicking and throwing her arms randomly, shouting insults.

"Damn it! Apologize, now!"

"Hmph. A rubber girl. Who would've thought such things exist?" The leader said, throwing her to the ground, "If I sell her to a circus, who knows how much money I'd get?" He stomped his foot on her face, "What did I do to you? We were just drinking and having a good time. Did we say or do something to piss you off?" Lucy braced her teeth, "…! YES, YOU DID! Apologize, now! Lift your foot, you damn bandit!"

"Let the child go!" the chief yelled, Makino right behind him, "Please! I don't know what Lucy did, but please let her go! I'm willing to pay, so please stop!" he said bowing. Lucy wore a shocked look on here face. The bandit just smirked, "Of course, the chief of the town knows how to handle the situation perfectly," he looked to the chief, "but it's too late now, you see, when people insult me in such a way, I can't help but get pissed," he replied, crunching his feet more on the poor girl's face. She cringed, "I-It's your fault, you bastard!"

"Fine, instead of selling you," he said, unsheathing his sword, "…I'll kill you instead."

"Lucy-chan!" Maniko panicked.

"I was wondering why no one came to welcome our return…" Shanks said, appearing behind the chief and Makino, "…Now I can see why." He stepped forward, "What's wrong, Lucy? Aren't your punches as strong as pistols?"

"…Shut up!" Lucy yelled, slightly irritated from his teasing. The leader of the bandits simply smirked, "You pirates are back? What, are you planning on cleaning the whole town now?" Shanks smirked back, "I suggest you leave, or I might have to open fire, you piece of shit," he said, getting closer. One of the bandits put a gun to his head, "How about you stay away from our leader," the bandit said. The bandits started laughing.

"Now that you've drawn your gun," said Shanks, "…are you willing to fire it?" The bandits gave him a confused look.

"Guns are for fighting, not threats."

"Eh? What'd you say?" the bandit asked.

"I said," he started, "don't threaten people with guns!" Just then, one of the crewmen shot the bandit with their gun raised at Shanks head. The townspeople stared and Lucy gave a toothy grin as the man fell. The bandits got angry.

"N-now you've done it you bastard!" one bandit shouted.

"Damn it… that was dirty!" another joined it.

"Dirty? What, did you expect us to be? Saints? We're pirates for cryin' out loud!" Shanks said, "Listen, you idiotic bandits: you can hit me with a sake bottle or pour food on my head, hell, you can even spit at me and I'll laugh it off," he gave a dark look to the leader, "but when someone hurts my friend, that draws the line!"

That did it for the bandits, and they attacked; however, one of the pirates easily finished them all off.

"W-wait a second! This girl messed with us first!" the leader said frantically.

Shanks shook his head, "It doesn't matter, besides," he looked at the bandit, "you have a bounty on your head, don't you?"

The leader panicked and threw a smoke bomb. When the smoke lit up, the leader and Lucy were gone. Now it was Shanks' turn to start panicking, "DAMN IT! WE GOT CARELESS! HE TOOK LUCY! WHAT'RE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!" Shanks rambled.

"Calm down, Captain! Let's split up and look for her!"

~.~

"Ha ha ha!" the leader howled, "Who ever thought a mountain bandit would escape by boat?" By now the boat was far away from port, "Humph, you're useless, now," he said, kicking her off the boat. Lucy screamed loudly, desperately trying to stay above water.

Suddenly a very large Sea King came up, snapping the small boat into pieces. Tears began to spill out of fear.

"S-someone help!" Lucy cried, as it was just about to snap her. Just then Shanks appeared, grabbing Lucy from the Sea King.

"Shanks…" Lucy whispered. Shanks looked straight at the Sea King, eyes like daggers, "Get lost." Even the shark was frightened from the stare and quickly left. Lucy began to cry.

"Thank you, Lucy, for sticking up for us. Makino told us everything that happened." Lucy cried harder upon hearing his softened voice. "Come on, now, Lu, no need to cry."

"B-but Shanks…" Lucy sobbed, "YOUR ARM!" she screamed, crying into his chest. Shanks had sacrificed his arm for Lucy when the shark ripped his arm off instead of her.

"That's nothing, Lucy. As long as you're safe…"

~.~

"So…you're really leaving for good?" Lucy asked Shanks, as everyone got ready for departure.

"Yup. We've been here long enough. It's time to be headin' to a new place. Will ya' miss me?" Shanks asked. Lucy nodded, "But...I won't force you to take me. I'll become a pirate on my own." Shanks stuck his tongue out, "I wouldn't take you even if you begged me. You don't have what it takes to become a pirate!" Shanks said. Lucy had had it with Shanks being so childish, "You'll see! When I'm older, I'll gather the strongest crew! Then we'll go to the Grand Line and I'll become Queen of the Pirates!" Shanks smiled, "So, you wanna become bigger than us, huh?" he said, removing his straw hat from his head, placing it on Lucy, "I'll give this to you then. Be careful with it, it's my favorite hat. One day, when you become an extraordinary pirate, you'll return it to me," He said with a soft but serious tone before remarking, "Just good luck leavin' without your mother catchin' ya." Instead of getting mad at his teasing, Lucy grinned and hugged Shanks, who happily returned it.

With these words said, Lucy worked hard to start the legend she declared.

~.~

**What'd ya think? Was it a nice beginning to the great adventures of Lucy? Please R&R! I have faith in you!**

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	2. Monkey D Lucy Enters!

**Wolfy-tan: Have you missed me yet? Well, here's the second chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 2: Monkey D. Lucy Enters! She's Gonna Be the Queen of the Pirates?**_

_10 years later..._

Along the East Blue, a mid-sized cruise ship was sailing the seas. Two crew members of this ordinary ship were looking out to the sea when they noticed a large barrel. They looked at it in surprise. When they caught and hauled it, they noticed that this peculiar barrel was a bit light for liquor. Just when they were about to open it to see if it was a wine barrel, they were interrupted.

"Pirates are attacking us!" one crewman yelled. The ship began to rock and break,crumbling as cannonballs hit it furiously.

~.~

_Meanwhile on the pirate ship..._

"COBY!" Alvida yelled, her trusty iron club at her side, "Who is the most beautiful pirate of the seas?"

Coby, an unfortunate thirteen-year-old with glasses and pink hair, grew fidgety and started to sweat bullets as he stuttered, "O-o-of c-c-course th-that w-w-w-would b-b-be you, Alvida-sama!"

"Humph," she replied, "Nicely said, Coby. Now, pull along the ship!"

"Hai!" many of the crew members replied. They steered closer to the ship, climbing onto it, stealing all the goods they could find. Only one crew member was behind because he was scared shitless.

"Coby! What do you think you're doing?" Alvida asked her weakest and most cowardly crew member; Coby.

"I-I'm not used to this..." Coby replied timidly.

"Eh? You dare talk back to me?" Alvida dared as she got her club ready. Coby was shaking by now, "Please! Anything but the iron club!"

"Then get going!" Alvida yelled as she kicked him, sending him flying. When he landed, Alvida jumped with her club, ready to strike Coby. Coby, being as frightened as he was, hid from it as she fell through the walls. Coby took this as his cue to run and do something useful.

~.~

"Konichiwa..." Coby muttered timidly as he entered an empty kitchen. That was when he noticed that peculiar barrel from before. Assuming there was a large amount of wine in there, he took the barrel and began to roll it to the deck of the ship. Before he could get there, however, some of his fellow crew members blocked his way.

"Oi, Coby, you're not being totally useless and doing nothing again, are you?" one asked.

"N-Not at all! I-I found a barrel of wine and I'm t-t-taking it to the ship!" Coby defended. The men looked at the barrel.

"Maybe we can lighten the load for you," another suggested, a smirk evident on his face.

"Yeah, I'm thirsty," a third person chimed. Coby gave a shocked expression. "N-no way! If Alvida-sama finds out, she'll kill us!"

"Hehe, not if you don't tell her," the first said. He walked up, ready to punch the barrel open when...

**BAM!**

"I SLEPT SO WEEEEEELL~!" A teen girl yelled as she punched the guy in the face. She was an odd girl, with long, black hair that curled at the end, with a straw hat atop her head. She also wore a red vest and rolled up blue pants with wooden sandals. With onyx eyes, tanned skin, and a scar under her left eye, she had a playful appearance. She had good curves and just the right size of breasts for her age. Overall, she was incredibly pretty. She looked around, confused.

"Who're you guys?" she asked.

"Who the hell are you? !" the two still-conscious pirates replied, angered. She looked down at the crew member she punched unconsciously, "That guy will catch a cold if he sleeps there," the mysterious girl said, getting out of the barrel. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID THAT!" they said, now both angered and annoyed. They pointed their swords at her.

"You bitch," one said. They launched to attack her, however the mystery girl simply broke their swords and knocked them out with her kicks, not bothering to touch them with her hands. "What was with them?" she asked, unaware of the shocked eyes of Coby. She turned to him, who was staring at her like she had a second head.

"Oi," the girl said, getting his attention, "Do you know where I can get some food?" Coby awed at her for a moment, then nodded.

The girl followed him until they got to a storage room full of food.

"Whoa! SO MUCH FOOD!" the girl beamed as she opened a box of apples. She immediately began her feast. Meanwhile, Coby made sure no one was around. Once he thought they were safe, he sat next to the girl.

"That was amazing, what you did out there, what's your name?" he asked, feeling curious. She turned to Coby, "I'm Monkey D. Lucy. You?" she asked, diving right back into the apples.

"I'm Coby."

"So, is this a pirate ship?" Lucy asked Coby. Coby shook his head, "No, however, Alvida-sama is currently robbing the ship of it's goods."

"Are there any small boats here?" Lucy asked. Coby took a second to think about it, "I believe I saw a few spare boats."

"That's good. Mine got sucked in by a whirlpool. Luckily I found that barrel, but I fell asleep. Ah well, I had a nice nap!" she said, "So, are you a pirate, too?" Coby's eyes turned dark.

"It was all an accident. I went on a small boat, intending to go fishing, but it was Alvida-sama's! Ever since then, I've been trapped, for two years."

Lucy smiled, "You're a freakin' idiot!"

Coby dropped his head, "How can you say such a thing-" "You could run away!"

Coby looked at her with a doubtful expression, "No way! That's impossible! I can only imagine what Alvida-sama would do to me if I ran!"

Lucy's smile stretched wider, "So you're weak, too! I hate you!"

Coby dropped his head in defeat, "...Y...You're right...um, Lucy-san, what are you planning to do when you leave here?"

Lucy stood, her smile still in place, "I'm gonna be the Queen of the Pirates!" she said proudly. Coby fell back anime-style.

"Queen of the Pirates! Are you crazy? You plan on crossing something as deadly as the Grand Line?" Coby panicked. Lucy nodded. "Wait, so you're a pirate?" "Yup!" "But where's your crew?" "Don't got one yet."

"No way! It's impossible! Impossible, impossible imposs-" _**BANG! **_"-why did you hit me?"

"Just because," Lucy placed her hand on the rim of her hat, "Anyway, it's not whether I can or not. I want to. I decided on my own that I was going to fight to become Pirate Queen. I'm not afraid to die for it." Coby just stared at her in awe. She got up and started to walk to the door.

"Well, I'm full, now, so I'm gonna go find a boat."

"Do...do you think I could join the Marines?"

Lucy paused and looked back."The Marines?"

"Yeah! It's been my dream to catch bad guys! Ever since I was a child! Could I join the marines?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"I will become one! And then I can capture Alvida-sama-no, Alvida!"

"WHO'RE YOU CAPTURING, COBY?" Both Lucy and Coby looked up to see the ceiling cave in and Alvida appear under the pile of broken wood. Coby began sweating bullets again. Alvida looked to Lucy, "Humph, you're not Zoro the bounty hunter."

"Zoro?" Lucy pondered. Sounded like a name for a sexy guy.

"COBY! Who's the most beautiful lady in all the oceans?" Alvida asked.

"Hey, Coby, who's the fat hag?" Time seemed to freeze as Coby began to spazz uncontrollably as Alvida swung her club, "YOU BRAT!" Lucy dodged it like it was nothing. Lucy went over to Coby, "Let's go," she said. Lucy took Coby's wrist, and she jumped to the deck- Coby lagging behind her. Alvida's crew began to attack her. She dodged, headbutted, and round-kicked the crew, sending them flying. When Alvida came up, Lucy used her Rubber Pistol to send Alvida flying. Lucy brushed off her shoulders. Coby stared at her, "Lucy... what are you?"

Lucy grinned, "I'm a rubber person!" Coby fell anime-style yet again. Lucy got a boat ready and she and Coby sailed off before the Marines found them.

"Oi, Coby, who was that Zoro guy the hag mentioned?"

"He's a pirate hunter, he's said to be blood-lusted, and that he's a devil in human form!" Coby practically peed himself thinking about it, he looked to Lucy, "Wait...why are you asking?"

"I was thinking of possibly adding him to my crew."

"WHAT?"

**Yeah! Two chapters in a day! Don't forget to R&R!**

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	3. In Comes Zoro, the Pirate Hunter!

**Wolfy-tan: I'm here again! Here's the third chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 3: In Comes Zoro, the Pirate Hunter! Is He Really So Bad?**_

"Here we are! The Marine town!" Lucy shouted as Coby tied the boat at the port. When Coby finished, Lucy and Coby began walking down the streets. Lucy bought a pear and started thinking out loud, "I wonder if Zoro's inside the base." Once Lucy mentioned Zoro, everyone became instantly terrified. Lucy and Coby continued down the street, "Anyway, let's get you to the Marine base. There, you can join and I can look for Zoro!" When they arrived, Lucy was staring in amazement, "So awesome!" she said. Coby began tearing up, "Well, I guess this is where we part ways, Lucy, it's been nice-" Coby looked up at Lucy and sweatdropped. "What are you doing?" Coby asked.

"Where is that little demon?" Lucy wondered. Coby shook his head, "he wouldn't be outside, he's probably locked away in some cell-"

"FOUND HIM!" she said pointing. Coby climbed up, too. "There's no way that it's-" Coby looked to see a man tied in the dreaded sun.

"IT'S-IT'S RORONOA ZORO!" Coby shreiked.

"I told you," Lucy said.

"Oi, you two, get lost." Zoro said from afar. Suddenly, a little girl placed a latter to the wall and climbed up. She gave a shushing motion to Lucy and Coby and ran to Zoro.

"AAH! Lucy, go help her! She's gonna get herself killed!" Coby exclaimed as the girl showed him the onigiri.

"Here! I made these for you! You must be hungry!" the girl said, handing the onigiri to Zoro.

"Buzz off. I'm not hungry."

"But I made them with all my heart."

"I don't want any!"

"Now, now, it's not nice to bully, Zoro." Zoro glared as an ugly man with bowl-cut blonde hair came up.

"Oh, onigiri, eh? I'll have one," he said, eating one. He immediately spit it out, "That's full of sugar! It should have salt! Salt!"

The girl frowned, "But I thought it would taste better sweet." The man stomped the onigiri on the ground. The girl became teary.

"Haven't you read the notice? It says 'anyone who helps Zoro will be executed immediately! Signed, Captain Morgan.' Throw her out." With that said, one of the lower Marines regretfully threw the poor girl out. Lucy immediately reached out and grabbed her, cushioning the girl's fall.

"Arigato, miss." the girl said.

"Are you okay, Lucy-san?" Coby asked, rushing over. When he saw that Lucy was fine, he turned his attention to the girl, "Are you hurt?" the girl shook her head. Lucy turned her attention to Zoro. She climbed the over the wall and became face-to-face with Zoro.

"You're still here?" Zoro asked.

"Being publicly disgraced like this... are you actually strong?" Lucy asked.

"Mind your own business!" Zoro exclaimed. Lucy began to leave.

"Wait- before you go, can you give that to me?" he asked, referring to the crushed onigiri.

"You're gonna eat it? But it's all destroy-"

"I don't care! Give it to me." She shrugged and threw it in his mouth.

"Tell the girl...I said thank you."

~.~

"He really ate it?"

"Yup! The whole thing!" Lucy replied with a cheeky smile.

"Is he really so bad?" Coby pondered. The girl shook her head vigorously, "No!" she looked down, "He's in jail because of us."

Lucy tilted her head in curiosity, "What do you mean by that?"

The girl looked Lucy in the eye, "It's all Helmeppo's fault."

Coby looked at the girl, "Helmeppo?"

The girl nodded, "Captain Morgan's son. One day, he got a new, nasty pet wolf, who was rampaging the streets. I tried to attack it, but the wolf attacked me, instead. Zoro killed it, saving us. Then Helmeppo made a deal with Zoro. He said that if Zoro survived at the Marine Base for a month, then he could be free, and we wouldn't be harmed. It's been three weeks since then."

"So that's what happened," Coby concluded. Suddenly, they heard a crash from inside the cafe. They all rushed in to see Helmeppo free-loading the cafe.

"I've decided that I'm going to have Zoro executed tomorrow," Helmeppo said too happily. Lucy was furious. She ran over and punched him.

"Wh-who the hell are you?" Helmeppo asked.

"Lucy, stop!" Coby said, holding her back.

"You trash!" Lucy yelled, trying to break from Coby.

"I'm going to tell father about you, and have you executed!" Helmeppo yelled.

"Why don't you fight me yourself, you shithead!" Lucy retorted.

"Stop! You don't want to make the Marines your enemy!" Coby said, trying to calm Lucy.

"Coby, I've decided," Lucy said, getting Coby's attention, "I'm going to have Zoro join me!"

~.~

_'I made a promise to her. I can't die in a place like this...!' _Zoro looked up as he realized that he was thinking about her again. Then he noticed Lucy standing there.

"You again? You have too much free time." Zoro curtly said.

Lucy simply looked at him, "I'm going to untie you and you're going to join me."

"What are you babbling about?" Zoro asked, exasperated with her.

"I'm looking for people to join my crew," Lucy bluntly answered, starting to work on the ropes.

"I refuse!" Zoro exclaimed, "You want me to become a crummy pirate? How annoying."

"What's wrong with pirates?" Lucy asked, now _she_ was starting to get annoyed with _him._

"Isn't it obvious? Pirates are scum. I wouldn't ever disgrace my name to become one," he responded.

"What difference does it make?" Lucy asked, "you're already well-known as a blood-lusted bounty hunter that's always out for the kill."

"Society can say what they want about me," Zoro responded, "but I don't have one damn regret about what I've done."

"Is that so," Lucy said, crossing her arms and giving a pearly smile, "but I've already decided you're going to join my crew."

"Don't make assumptions!" Zoro yelled.

"You're a swordsman, right?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," he said, looking down, "but that damn Helmeppo took my swords."

"Alright, then," Lucy decided, "I'll get your sword, then you'll join my crew!"

"Don't decide such things!" Zoro argued. Lucy merely giggled and started running to the gate. Zoro sighed, "Baka, the base is that way." Lucy turned around.

"Rubber...Rocket!" she yelled as she used her Devil Fruit Power to zip across the execution grounds. Zoro just stared at her, _'What the hell is that chick?'_

~.~

When Lucy finally got to the entrance of the base, she became confused, "That's weird, no one's here..." That was when she heard something above her. She looked up to see some sort of statue being hauled, "I'll go check that out. Rubber...Rocket!" she yelled as she went flying in the air, "AAH! TO HIGH! TO HIGH!" she yelled as she went so far up into the sky. She grabbed onto the rope with the statue, "I stopped!" Everyone began to panic. the torso and up of the statue broke off and smashed to pieces. Lucy sweat-dropped, "Gomenosai."

"CAPTURE HER!"

"HAI, CAPTAIN!"

"That's the girl who hit me, father!" Lucy looked to Helmeppo.

"Ah, there you are!" Lucy said, facing Helmeppo.

"AAH!" Helmeppo screamed as Lucy grabbed him and dragged him off.

"Oi, tell me where Zoro's swords are," she said, running.

"OKAY! I'LL TELL YOU! JUST QUIT DRAGGING ME!" Lucy immediately stopped and looked at Helmeppo.

"Spit it out already," she said.

"I-it's in my room. We just past it." Lucy glared at him.

"Why couldn't you of told me earlier? Now we have to go back."

"L-let go of Helmeppo-sama!" three Marines said as they guns shakily.

"Go ahead and shoot," she said, holding Helmeppo up as a shield.

"AAH! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" he desperately yelled as Lucy rammed into the three marines, knocking him out. She ran until she found a room with a wreath that said "Helmeppo's room". She walked into it to see it all frilly and girly.

"Yup, this is definitely his room," she said as she looked around.

"Ah!" she exclaimed as she found the swords. She got a confused look on her face, "But there are three swords here. Oi, which one is it?" she asked Helmeppo, who was unconscious, "You passed out?" She sighed as she through him on the floor and grabbed all the swords. She looked out to see all the marines in the execution grounds, Zoro still tied with Coby being scared shitless.

"Coby! Zoro! Rubber... Rocket!" she yelled as she jumped out the window, jumping in front of them, the bullets hitting her.

"You!"

"Lucy-san!"

"Straw Hat."

They watched as the bullets flew through her, then bounced back as she yelled, "THAT WON'T WORK!" with a goofy grin. She started laughing like a psychopath.

"Wh-what the hell are you?" Zoro asked. Lucy grinned yet again.

"My name is Monkey D. Lucy! I'm gonna be the Queen of the Pirates!"

~.~

**THANK GOODNESS! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! This took hours to write D; . Then again, so did the other two chapters. I'm sorry I didn't knock this out on the first day, but I tried! I fell asleep at 1am trying to finish this... hehe ^.^' . I was going to take a break today to read fanfics, but I came across mine, and it said it had three reviews ALREADY. When I saw that, I was like, "No break time for me!" and I worked hard to finish this chapter. Sorry if this isn't the best so far, but I was working on this after I got blood-work done today and I was a little out of it . ... so yeah.**

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	4. Lucy & Zoro VS Morgan!

**Wolfy-tan: Yay! I'm here again! Here's the fourth chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 4: Lucy & Zoro VS Morgan! Setting Sail to Who-Knows-Where!_**

"What?" Zoro asked, "The Pirate Queen? Are you an idiot? Do you even understand what that would mean?"

Lucy looked at him like _he_ was the idiot of this story, "The Pirate Queen is the Pirate Queen, how else can you put it?"

"I was surprised at first, too," Coby said, "but Lucy-san is really set on it! I believe in her too become the Pirate Queen and find the One Piece!"

Lucy grinned and held out the swords, "Here, which one is yours? I didn't know which one was yours, so I grabbed all of them."

"All of them are mine," Zoro responded, "I use three swords to fight."

Lucy's grin disappeared, then reappeared, "You'll take them, right? But if you fight alongside me, you'll owe me. So what'll it be? Join me or get killed by Marines?" Lucy asked. Zoro smirked.

"You really are the devil's daughter. Fine, I'll fight alongside you," he responded.

"Yeah!" Lucy cheered.

"Cut the celebration and untie me!" Zoro yelled. Lucy began to try to untie it.

"Come on, hurry!" Coby urged.

"It's just getting tighter!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Quit screwing around with it!" Zoro yelled.

"If guns don't work, then cut them to pieces!" yelled Captain Morgan as the Marines charged with swords.

"Damn it, just give me my swords!" Zoro yelled again.

"Lucy-san!" Coby panicked.

_**SLICE!**_

There stood Zoro, who damaged all the Marines with swords. He held a sword in each hand, his last sword in his mouth.

"So cool!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Lucy, let me tell you one thing," Zoro said, "I aim to be the world's greatest swordsman! If you do anything to make me give up my ambitions, I will end your life with my swords!" Zoro exclaimed.

"The world's greatest swordsman, huh? I'd except no less as the Soon-to-be Pirate Queen!" Lucy grinned. She then ran over and aimed to punch Captain Morgan; however, Captain Morgan used his Ax as a shield. "Someone like you could never beat someone like me, who is nicknamed 'Ax-Hand-Morgan'!"

"I'm Lucy!" she said, tipping her hat, "Nice to meetchya!"

"DIE!" Morgan screamed, throwing his ax at Lucy. She dodged it with ease. Once she was up in the air, she round-kicked him. When he got up again, it was the same thing: he swung his ax, she dodged, and she round-kicked him. Once he was down again, Lucy pinned him and grabbed him by the collar, "How dare you Marines- *punch*-destroy-*punch*-Coby's dream!"

"Oi, Straw Hat, look over here!" Helmeppo yelled. Lucy didn't take notice and continued to punch Captain Morgan.

"I said look over here you damn Straw Hat!" Helmeppo's hand began to shake.

"Oi," Zoro said, getting Lucy's attention in a second.

"I-If you c-c-care about his life, don't move!" Helmeppo stuttered, "You try anything, and I'll shoot!"

Again stood a scared Coby; however, when he saw Lucy grin at him, his expression turned into bravery, "Lucy-san! I don't want to do anything to interfere with your dream...! Even if I die!"

Lucy's grin widened, "I know! Give it up, Helmeppo, Coby's serious," Lucy said as she inched closer to Helmeppo.

"Lucy-san! B-behind you!" Coby panicked. Behind Lucy stood Captain Morgan.

"I am Ax-Hand-Morgan! The Captain of the Marines!" he exclaimed with his ax raised at Lucy.

"Rubber... Pistol!" Lucy exclaimed, hitting Helmeppo's face, Morgan's ax just above Lucy's head. Suddenly Morgan fell back, revealing Zoro, who had sliced Morgan.

"Nice, Zoro!" Lucy complimented.

"It was nothing, Captain," Zoro replied. Then Zoro looked to the Marines, "Whoever wants to fight us, step forward."

Then all the Marines threw up their weapons and cheered.

"Huh? We defeated their captain and they're celebrating?" Lucy asked.

"They must of all been afraid of Morgan!" Coby concluded. Suddenly, Zoro fell down.

"A-are you okay, Zoro-san? Are you injured?" Coby panicked.

"I-I'm...hungry..." Zoro responded.

~.~

"Maaaan, am I full!" exclaimed Zoro as he finished his food, "that mean was worth not eating for three weeks!" The girl giggled. Lucy looked at his finished plates.

"Eh? That's all you're gonna eat?" Lucy asked. Zoro looked at her seriously.

"I still don't see how such a small girl like you can eat so much more then me." Zoro pondered.

"It's really good, right, Coby?" Lucy asked. Coby looked up.

"Heh, heh, Gomen, I helped myself, too." The woman smiled.

"It's fine. You did help save the town after all."

"So, how many shipmates are there?" Zoro asked. Lucy swallowed her food.

"Just you," she replied before digging back in.

"EH? J-just me?" Zoro asked, not believing he was the only crew member, "Ship? What about our ship?" Lucy pointed to the smallest one in port. Zoro sweat-dropped, "That?"

Lucy nodded, "It's small now, but we'll eventually get a huge one!" she said, daydreaming about her being the captain of a huge pirate ship. Zoro laughed.

"How?"

"I want an awesome pirate flag, too! Yeah, that'd be so cool!"

Coby decided to chime in, "Lucy-san wasn't exactly born with planning skills."

"Is this girl really going to be my 'captain'?"

Lucy swallowed more food, "Don't worry about it! We'll get more crew members, eventually."

"Where are you guys going to go to, now?" the little girl asked.

"Where else?" Lucy asked, "the Grand Line!" Coby spit out his drink (through both his mouth _and _his nose).

"You can't go to the Grand Line! It's impossible!"

"Is it really that dangerous?" the girl asked. Coby nodded.

"It's called the 'Pirate Graveyard' because everyone who goes in it doesn't get out alive!"

"But the One Piece is there, so we'll have to go eventually," Lucy said.

"Well, I guess we have no choice," Zoro agreed, relaxing in his chair.

"Not you, too, Zoro-san!" Coby whined.

"Why does it matter to you, anyways? It's not like you're coming," Zoro pointed out.

"Lucy-san is my friend! I have a right to worry about her," Coby remarked. Lucy stood up and went to Coby. She held out her fist.

"Even though we're parting ways, we'll always be friends!" Lucy said. Coby looked at her fist, then he understood. He fist-bumped it.

"Yeah..." he said, "Lucy-san, thank you. Because of you, I can now fight for my dream!" Just then, the Marines walked in. They walked up to Zoro and Lucy.

"Is it true you are pirates?" the Marine asked. Lucy grinned.

"Yup! We're pirates!"

"We are thankful of you for saving us from Morgan; however, now that we know that you're pirates, we're going to have to ask you to leave." Lucy and Zoro nodded and exited the cafe.

"Wait, you two. Is he a part of you guys?" the Marine said, pointing to Coby. Lucy smirked.

"I can tell you what he's been doing for the past two years," Lucy started. Coby started sweating bullets, _'Lucy-san, you wouldn't!'_

"You see, there was this REALLY fat she-pirate, with this iron club, and you see, he-"

_**SLAP!**_

Coby punched Lucy in the face. Lucy's smirk grew wider, "Now you've done it, you bastard!" she yelled as she continuously punched him. Eventually, Zoro grabbed her by the collar, "That's enough, Lucy."

The Marine pointed at Lucy, "It's clear he's not with you!" Lucy smirked yet again. Coby looked at Lucy _'She...she did that on purpose...!'_ Coby immediately stood up, "I... I want to join the Marines!" The Marine stared at the boy intently, "We have lost many Marines to the pirates. The life of a Marine isn't an easy one."

"Then?"

"Permission granted!"

"Hai!"

~.~

"That was something back there," Zoro complimented.

"Coby can handle the rest," Lucy concluded.

"To leave the town with everyone hating us... that's the life of a pirate," Zoro joked. Lucy giggled, causing him to blush a light pink.

"Right."

"Lucy-san!"

"Hm?" Lucy turned around to see Coby. Coby saluted.

"Thank you very much! This Marine will never forget you!" Coby thanked.

Zoro smirked, "I've never heard a Marine thank a pirate before." Lucy set the sail.

"We'll meet again, Coby!" Lucy waved as they sailed away.

"Everyone, salute!" the Marine yelled as the rest of the Marines saluted, "you have a great friend, there."

Coby teared up, "Hai!"

~.~

**I'M ON A ROLE, BABY! Another two chapters in a day! I'm setting a record for myself! I'm definitely glad I started this story. Don't worry, there'll be more then a tiny blush in the ZoroXLucy future! I hope you stay tuned!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**skyspottedshadow**_

_**one piece girl 99999**_

**[REVIEW]**


	5. What the Hell, Lucy?

**Wolfy-tan: Ha ha! Ello again! Here's the fifth chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 5: What the Hell, Lucy?_**

"I'm so hungry..." Lucy whined, watching the ocean. Zoro decided this was the perfect time to study her. She was very pretty, with her raven hair and tanned skin. Also, her onyx-like eyes and low pigtails gave her a somewhat cute look. He immediately turned scarlet when he realized that he was checking her out. He looked away.

"When are we gonna reach land?" he asked, trying to forget he even did that.

"How am I supposed to know," responded Lucy, who was tracing the water with her finger, "we go where the wind and sea takes us."

"Isn't it weird that you plan to be the Pirate Queen, yet you have absolutely have no navigation skills?" Zoro asked in frustration. Lucy cuddled next to Zoro, resting her head on his chest. His face immediately resembled a beet and his eyes widened.

"W-W-What the hell are you doing?" Zoro asked. Lucy looked at him.

"What?" she asked, falling asleep. This was when he realized that she was innocent. She didn't understand that if she did that with any regular pervert, they could easily take advantage of her. He rubbed his temple in frustration, his face still slightly pink. _'This girl...' _He looked down at her peaceful sleeping face. There was something about her that just made him want to pull her closer to him. Suddenly, her eyes opened half-way.

"Zoro, you have a reason to fight... don't you?" she asked. Zoro just looked at her, "What are you talking about?"

"There's something about you... I can tell you have a reason for your ambitions..." Lucy muttered.

"What about you? Do you have a reason to become the Pirate Queen?" Zoro asked. She nodded her head, sitting up.

"You see, about ten years ago, a man very important to me gave me this hat, and he said that once I'm a successful pirate with a strong crew, to return this hat to him. This hat means the world to me. If I were to ever lose it..." she covered her face, "I'm not sure if I would ever be the same." Zoro looked at her, then Kuina's sword.

"I understand where you're coming from," he said. Lucy looked up.

"Really?" she asked. He nodded. Suddenly, a random, strong gust of wind came and whisked Lucy's hat on her head.

"No!" she yelled as the hat drifted. Tears formed in her eyes. Zoro then remembered what Lucy said.

_"If I were to ever lose it... I'm not sure if I would ever be the same."_ Zoro then reached out and grabbed the hat before it got out of reach and handed it to Lucy. A tear slid down her cheek and she sighed of relief. She put the straw hat back where it belonged and hugged Zoro, nuzzling into his neck. Zoro turned into a beet... again.

"Arigato." Zoro then recovered from shock and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

The rest of the day, they spent small-talking, getting to know each other a bit better.

~.~

That night was extremely cold. Zoro knew that Lucy would most likely freeze to death in her light clothes.

Swallowing his dignity, he said, "Oi, Lucy."

"Hm? What is it, Zoro?" she asked, shaking from the cold. He sighed.

"S-Since it's a cold night, do you want to s-s-s-sleep t-t-t-together?" he stuttered, his face scarlet.

"Really? Arigato, Zoro!" she exclaimed as she cuddled next to Zoro, who was still blushing. Then, losing all the dignity he previously had, he pulled her closer to him. When he felt how cold she was, he paled. He knew she was cold, but she was practically cold as death! She was this cold all night, and didn't say anything? Was she crazy? At that moment, he was wishing that this boat had emergency blankets.

That night, he held her as close as he cold, worrying about her health from being this cold.

~.~

That morning, Zoro woke up to Lucy's screaming.

"AAH! ZORO! HEEEELP! AAH!" Zoro immediately looked around _'What the hell? Where's Lucy?' _then he looked up. He immediately sweat-dropped. _'Lucy... of all things... WHAT THE HELL, LUCY?'_

~.~

Lucy screamed and kicked and yelled and punch, but absolutely NOTHING was helping her. Right now, she was being whisked away by a damn bird.

"LET ME GO, YOU BIG BEAK!" she yelled. Suddenly, a cannonball came and hit the bird, sending Lucy straight to the ground.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed as she her head hit stone.

"Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch..." she whined as she held her hat, standing up, "That was a pretty interesting experience."

~.~

**Wolfy-tan: I finished another chapter! Hell yeah! That makes it... three in a row! I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but since I already told the back-story of Lucy, I didn't really have much to go off of. Until then, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_**

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	6. In Comes Captain Buggy the Clown!

**Wolfy-tan: Here's the chapter for ya!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 6: In Comes Captain Buggy the Clown! Lucy's Way Too Dense..._**

"Boss! You came to save me!" a girl with orange hair and cinnamon eyes said to Lucy.

"Who the hell are you?" Lucy asked her.

"I'll leave the rest to you!" the girl said, leaving Lucy behind. _'Who was that?'_ she wondered. She looked behind her to see three pirates.

"She got away," one said.

"Don't matter, she left her boss behind," another added.

"Lookin' out for your subordinates, eh?" a third chimed in.

"Do you guys know where I can get food?" Lucy asked them.

"Don't screw around with us!" the biggest one said, knocking off her hat. Her eyes filled with anger.

"Rubber... Pistol!" she shouted, punching the one who knocked her hat, and caught her hat, placing it on it's rightful place.

"Don't touch my treasure with your dirty hands, you bastard," Lucy said.

"You bitch!" the two left said. Lucy merely punched them.

"You're really strong!" the girl said from on top of a roof,"You won with your bare hands!"

"Who are you?" Lucy asked.

"I'm a thief who steals from pirates. My name is Nami. Wanna join forces?" she asked Lucy.

Lucy shook her head, "Not interested."

"W-Wait!" Nami said, following her, "I said wait!"

Lucy's stomach rumbled,"Now I remember," she said,"I'm really damn hungry!"

Nami smiled, "How about I treat you?" Lucy jumped to her feet.

"Really?"

"Y-Yeah..."

~.~

Lucy was eating all all of the food that was there, just to fill her petite stomach.

"How can you eat so much? You're shorter and have better curves then me, so how does that work?" Nami asked as she watched Lucy stuff down the food.

Ignoring her question, she asked, "So, do you live alone here?" Nami shook her head.

"I don't live in this town, all the citizens ran away after Buggy and his crew came and took over the place," Nami explained.

Lucy nodded, "So you're doing a B&E."

Nami gave an offended look, "How rude! I'm a thief who robs pirates; don't compare me to a people who do B&Es."

Lucy swallowed her food, "But a thief is a thief, no matter who they steal from."

Nami gave a determined look, "No matter what it takes, I'll get one million Berries."

Lucy became curious, "What are you going to do with so much money?"

Nami put her pointer finger to her lips,"Secret," she hid her map under her shirt, "But if you have a map to the Grand line, one million Berries isn't just wishful thinking."

Lucy looked up, "Map? Are you a navigator?"

Nami nodded, "My skills are better than average navigators!"

Lucy stood up, "I see! Why don't you join me and my friend as our navigator?"

Nami grew excited, "Really?"

Lucy nodded, "Wooh! Another addition to the Pirate Crew!"

Nami turned serious, "No." They looked at each other, Nami broke the silence, "Humph, so you're a pirate?"

Lucy nodded, "I need to become a great pirate for someone whose really important to me," she said, looking at her hat.

Nami slammed her hands on the table, "There's nothing I hate more then pirates in this world! I only like money and tangerines!"

"Oh, come on. Be our navigator!"

"I said no."

Lucy sat back down, "Oh well," she said, eating more food. Nami looked out the window to see more of Buggy's pirates looking for her._ 'Those guys... I have to do something.' _She looked to Lucy.

"Well, if you do me a favor... I may join you," she said, intending on using Lucy for her own scheme.

Unfortunately for our innocent heroine, she was way too dense for her own good, "Really? I'll do anything!"

Nami smirked, "I want you to come with me to see Buggy, however..." she said as she grabbed rope.

~.~

"Why am I tied up?"

"It's just a rope. Is there a problem?"

Lucy pondered it for a second,"I guess it's not. I wouldn't mind meeting other pirates. Let's go!" she said, walking forward.

"Hey, wait for me!"

~.~

Nami and Lucy walked forward to Buggy's tent.

"That's her!"

"That's the one who stole the map!"

Nami pushed Lucy forward, her face hitting the ground.

"I have captured the thief, Captain Buggy the Clown. I'm returning the map," she said, handing the map to Buggy. Buggy checked it to make sure it was the real one, then set it aside.

"Thanks for returning the map," Buggy started, "but what made you change your mind?"

"I had a fight with my boss. I can't stand her anymore," she said, stepping back respectfully, "Let me join your crew." Everyone started sweating bullets.

"C-Captain Buggy is getting angry!" one whispered.

"The Devil's power will appear again," another muttered.

Suddenly, Buggy began to laugh hysterically, "Had enough of her? You're an interesting woman! I like you! You can join us!"

Nami inwardly sighed of relief, _'My plan worked. Pirates are so simple minded.'_

~.~

"Why am I in a cage?" Lucy asked. Unfortunate for her, her innocent question was ignored.

Buggy laughed again, "I'm in a good mood, today. Woman, what is your name?"

"I'm Nami," she responded.

"Great! We'll have a party to flashily honor Nami! Let's have fun!" Buggy said, getting everyone excited.

"HAI!"

~.~

As everyone celebrated, they chugged down barrels of sake, dumped plates full of food in their mouth, and doing... well... all the crazy shit you expect these crazy circus lunatics to be doing, practically.

"What's wrong? This is your party. You should eat some more," said Buggy, who was chugging down a glass of sake.

Nami smiled, "Hai! Thank you very much," but on the inside, her devious mind was thinking, _'I just need to wait until the right time to get the map back...along with Buggy's treasure. I'll take it all.'_

~.~

Lucy stretched her hand with all of her might, but she just barely couldn't reach the meat.

"I-I want to eat...too..." she tried to stretch farther, but her hand was at its limit, and it went back to normal.

Lucy sighed, "Shit."

~.~

Buggy laughed hysterically yet again, "I'm having such a great time," he performed the "superhero" pose, "Men! Prepare the Buggy Ball!" Everyone cheered. One of the men brought out the Buggy Cannon, and locked it in place. Another subordinate carried the "Buggy Ball" and set it inside the cannon.

"It's ready," Buggy said, smirking.

"What is this?" asked Nami.

"Watch the power of the Buggy Ball closely," he silently said, "Light it."

Another lit a match and lit the cannon. The crew watched in suspense as they waited for the cannon to fire. Nami watched in horror as the cannon shot down a whole row of houses.

~.~

"What was that explosion?" Zoro asked the three Buggy crew members he picked up on the way there.

"That was Buggy-sama's Buggy Ball," the subordinate said with fright.

Zoro smirked, "Buggy Ball?"

~.~

All of the subordinates cheered at the wreckage that was caused by the Buggy Ball; however, Nami had a look of complete horror and fear on her face.

Buggy smirked, "With the power of the Buggy Ball and the Devil Fruit Powers, I will rule the Grand Line..." he turned to Nami, "right, Nami?"

"Hai. Of course..." she responded weakly.

"Ehh?" Lucy whined from her cage, "_I'm _the one who's going to rule the Grand Line!" she said, slightly pissing Buggy off, "I'm gonna be the Pirate Queen."

"You idiot!" Nami yelled.

Buggy held back his laughter, "No wonder you can't stand her."

"That's right. She's always simple minded about everything. I couldn't stand her anymore," she agreed.

"True," Buggy started, "I guess I'll give you a present... by letting you blow up your old boss," Nami flinched, "It'll also test your loyalty. Prepare it!"

The Buggy Cannon was set just in front of Lucy.

"It-It's fine! Since this is a party, let's just go have more fun-"

Buggy gave her a terrifying look, "Do it. This is my way of partying," he said, handing her a box of Buggy Matches. Nami stared at it in disbelief. Everyone started cheering, saying, "Light it! Light it! Light it! Light it!" Nami began sweating, _'If I don't do it, I'll be killed, but if I shoot it, I'll be as low as pirates.'_

"Let's light it up!" exclaimed Buggy, and people began cheering again. Lucy looked at Nami right in the eyes, just taunting her to light it. "Come on, Nami! Don't spoil the party!" Buggy yelled.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, catching Nami's attention, "Your hands are shaking." Nami began sweating more.

"This is what happens when you aren't mentally prepared," Lucy explained.

Nami looked her in the eye, "What do you mean by, 'mentally prepared'? To kill people at will? Is that the way of the pirates?" Nami interrogated.

"No!" Lucy shook her head, "It's being prepared to risk your life."

One of the subordinates got so impatient, they took the matches from her hand.

"Oi, newcomer, don't make us wait," he said, lighting a match, "This is how you light it!" he said sarcastically. Nami quickly unsheathed her wooden pole and whacked the guy in the head when he lit it. There was a silence.

"What the hell are you doing, Nami?" demanded Buggy.

"Gomenosai," Nami said, bowing.

"What? What's the point in apologizing now?" he asked.

"What're you doing?" asked Lucy, "Didn't you just save me?"

"That's ridiculous!" protested Nami, "I just got excited and my hand slipped. I won't stoop to the same level as these pirates!"

"Oh... you got too excited," Lucy concluded.

"I'll never be like the pirates who took the life of the most important person in my life!" exclaimed Nami.

"Is that why..." pondered Lucy, "AAH! It's lit!" Lucy began to panic.

"Do you really think you can defy me, bitch?" Buggy asked. He sent four of his subordinates to attack her. Nami fought them off until she got to a certain distance from the cannon, then ran straight for the cannon, using her hands to try to unlight the cannon. She screamed in pain.

"Behind you!" yelled Lucy. Nami turned around to see the four subordinates attacking her from behind. She closed her eyes, preparing for the pain, but to find it never came. She looked to see that a certain green-haired man blocking the attackes with his swords (Can you guess who?).

"All these people attacking one girl?" Zoro pondered.

Lucy grinned, "Zoro!"

Zoro turned to Nami, "Are you injured?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Nami stuttered.

"Thank goodness!" Lucy exclaimed, "You were actually able to find me! Hurry up and get me out of here!"

"What on Earth are you doing?" asked Zoro, "A bird takes you away, and now you're in a cage?"

"Well," Lucy started, "It was really fun."

_'The friend she was talking about...was the pirate hunter Zoro?'_

"So you are Zoro. What do you want? Did you come for my head?" questioned Buggy.

"Nope. I quit being a pirate." Zoro answered.

"But I'm interested," Buggy said in a childish voice, "by killing you, I'd boost my reputation."

Zoro turned to Buggy, "Don't try, you'll die."

"Oh?" Buggy said, playing with his dagger, "Okay."

Zoro sighed, "I gues words won't make you understand." All of Buggy's crew began to cheer for Buggy. Buggy charged at Zoro; however, Zoro sliced Buggy to pieces.

"Waaaa! He's so weak!" Lucy exclaimed.

"No way..." Nami whispered, not believing that he was killed so easily. Suddenly, Buggy's crew began laughing. Lucy and Zoro exchanged confused looks.

"Wh...What's going on?" Nami pondered, "Their captain was killed and they're laughing."

"You!" Zoro exclaimed to the crew, "What's so funny?" Suddenly, Buggy reassembled and stabbed Zoro from behind.

"Zoro!" Lucy cried as she watched him fall to his knees.

"What's with that hand?" Nami said, pointing to Buggy's hand that was detached for the original body.

"What the hell is this?" Zoro yelled. He turned around and saw the hand, causing his eyes to widened.

"The Seperation Fruit," Buggy said, "That's the name of the Devil Fruit I ate," his hand and leg reattached, "It's impossible to kill me with swords! I'm a splitting man!"

"His body reattached! I thought that Devil Fruits were just a myth," Nami said.

"A splitting man? Is he a monster?" Lucy pondered. (- Rubber Girl)

"Though the wound isn't critical, it's still serious," Buggy said, referring to the wound he gave Zoro, "This fight is over." Buggy's crew began cheering.

_'This is bad,' _Nami thought, _'The situation has turned really bad. If we stay here, we won't be alive for long.'_

"The situation isn't looking too good..." Zoro managed to mutter.

Meanwhile, Lucy was pissed. She tried to hold it back; however our idiot of a heroine doesn't seem to think of consequences, "TO ATTACK FROM BEHIND IS COWARDLY, BIG RED NOSE!"

It seemed like time had froze.

_'Id...Idiot!' _Nami thought, _'That's the worse thing you could've said!'_

"Who...has...a...BIG RED NOSE?" Buggy screamed, launching his hand and dagger flying to Lucy.

"Lucy!" Zoro yelled.

...

"Oi, Buggy!" they heard Lucy say. Zoro sighed of relief. Buggy tensed when he saw Lucy had caught the dagger with her mouth.

"I'm gonna kick your sorry little ass!" Lucy exclaimed.

Buggy and his crew began laughing hysterically, "Kick my ass? You're dreaming!" Buggy began, "All three of you are gonna die today! Now, how should I finish you off?"

"No use, it's over," Nami said to herself, extremely scared of the situation.

Suddenly Lucy began laughing, "I'm not gonna die you bastard!" Lucy said, then continued to laugh, then she looked at Zoro, "Run, Zoro!"

Both Nami and Zoro looked up in surprise, "Nani?" Zoro asked to himself.

"He's telling the guy that came to save him to run away?" Nami asked, cofused, "What about you?" she asked to Lucy. Lucy just looked at Zoro, as if there was some hidden message in it.

Then Zoro's mind clicked. His shocked face turned into a smirk, "Roger."

_'No good, I don't understand it,' _Nami thought, _'This is why I hate pirates...'_

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" Buggy yelled, charging at Zoro. Zoro held it off, then sliced Buggy, taking this chance to run to the cannon.

Meanwhile, Buggy was babbling, "Idiot, your three-sword-style has no effect on me-" he then noticed Zoro wasn't listening "-OI! Listen when I'm talking!"

Zoro used what was left of his strength to change the side the cannon was facing. Nami immediately switched the side she was on when the cannon was set. All of Buggy's crew members began screaming and yelling.

"Oi, light it," Zoro managed to say.

"Eh?" Nami asked.

"Hurry!" Zoro exclaimed.

"H-Hai!"

"EH? WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! THE BUGGY BALL IS STILL IN THERE!" Buggy yelled. Then Nami lit it. Lucy's face brightened with anticipation.

"YOU LIT IT!" Buggy said, stating the obvious.

Lucy, Zoro, and Nami waited for the cannon to fire.

_**sssssss...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM**_

~.~

**...ugh. I'm sorry I didn't get this up last night. I would've had it up by last night; however, fanfiction SPAZZED last night, all of my unsaved work undid itself. Luckily I was able to get it done today. I worked extra hard on this chapter, mostly because I felt bad that last chapter was all fluff(But according to the reviews, that was perfectly okay) but also because, for some peculiar reason, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I'm really surprised this chapter passed the 3,000 mark for words. Anyways, please R&R, and I'll see ya at the next chapter!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**[REVIEW]**


	7. ShuShu the Dog!

**Wolfy-tan: Good day to you! Here's the seventh chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 7: ShuShu the Dog! Lucy Kicks the Shit outta Mohji & Ritchie!**_

"Oi, Zoro, you're injured," Lucy bluntly stated as Zoro used all of his strength to carry her away from Buggy's campsite.

"You shut up and stay there," Zoro managed to say through the pain,"I'll do it my way."

Nami looked at Zoro, "What's with this guy?"

Zoro looked at Nami, "Lucy, who's this?"

"Oh, she's our new navigator," Lucy responded.

"You've gotta be kidding," Nami started, "What are you guys?"

"Move," Zoro said, clenching his teeth at the pain, "You're in my way!" he said, completely picking up the cage and walked away.

"Why do you try so hard?" Nami asked, "You're just a pirate."

~.~

Zoro dragged Lucy's cage as far as he could. Once they were a well enough distance away, Zoro stopped and fell to the ground. He looked up to see a dog.

"What's with this dog?" Zoro asked to himself.

"Dog?" Lucy smiled and did her best to move closer to the dog.

_'Is it dead?'_ Lucy petted its head. It made no reaction. _'Hm...'_

Just then, Nami walked up.

"Yo, navigator," Lucy said.

Nami smiled, "I guess I'll be giving this to you; you did save me before," she said, throwing a key.

Lucy brightened, "The key to the cage!"

"Don't misunderstand," Nami started, "I just don't like owing people."

"Thank you thank you thank you! I'm saved!" she said, reaching for the key, just then the dog picked it up and swallowed it.

...

Lucy picked up the dog, practically choking it, "WHY, YOU! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! SPIT IT OUT! SPIT IT OUT! DAMN IT!"

"HEY!" they all turned to see an old man with weird armor.

"Don't pick on ShuShu, you brats!"

Lucy looked at the dog, "ShuShu?"

Zoro looked at the man, "Who're you, old man?"

"I'm the mayor of the town!" he exclaimed, "Who're you people?" he looked at Zoro's wound, "Oh my, that's a serious injury. Oh, were you attacked by the Buggy? You should see a doctor immediately."

~.~

The man walked out of the house that he took Zoro to.

"How's Zoro?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"I told him he should see a doctor, but he said he'll be fine if he sleeps," the mayor responded.

Nami petted ShuShu, "So, his name is ShuShu?"

"What's he doing, just sitting there?" Lucy asked.

"Guarding the store," the mayor responded.

"Guarding the store?" Nami looked at the store, "It's a pet food store!"

"That's right," the mayor started, "the owner was a good friend of mine." The mayor laid a bowl of dog food in front of ShuShu. ShuShu began eating his meal. "I've been feeding him in his place."

"In his place?" Nami asked.

He nodded, "He died of an illness three months ago."

"Could it be that he's waiting for his return?" Nami asked.

Lucy looked into ShuShu's eyes, "That's not it," Nami turned to Lucy.

"This store... it meant a lot to the owner. ShuShu is protecting their memories that were in that store," Lucy said, still looking at ShuShu.

The Mayor turned to Lucy, "You're very wise."

Lucy grinned, "When I try, that is!"

The Mayor sat down, "ShuShu is a smart dog, so he'd know that his master is dead. To ShuShu, this place is his treasure. This store is what his master left him, and it's what he wants to protect. I've tried to move him countless times, but he simply won't part with it."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and roaring was heard.

"What's with that roar?" Nami asked.

"It's him," Mayor said, panicking, "Beast Tamer Mohji."

"What's a beast tamer?" Nami asked. The mayor ran away. Nami ran after him, "O-Oi, wait a minute!"

Lucy looked at ShuShu and sighed, "Something's coming. Give me back the key, will ya?" When a shadow went over Lucy, she looked up, "Huh?"

She saw a green lion with red eyes and a purple mane, with a strange man riding him, "Oh? So you've been abandoned by your comrades? And you just got away..." the man said.

"Who're you?" Lucy asked him.

"I'm the beast tamer from Buggy's crew, Mohji!"

Lucy looked at him, "But you're wearing a really weird costume."

Mohji looked offended, "How rude! That's my hair!"

Lucy blinked, "That's even weirder."

Mohji turned to ShuShu, "You! You've been restless ever since I came here," ShuShu growled at Mohji, "Do you know who I am? I am Beast Tamer Mohji! There is no animal in this world I cannot tame!" he got off the lion and walked to ShuShu, holding out his hand, "Shake!"

...

"OW OW OW OW! DON'T BITE ME, YOU DAMN DOG!" Mohji yelled, trying to shake the dog's mouth from his hand. Once ShuShu let go of him, Mohji's face got serious, "You're going to die soon, anyways. I have no interest in taming you right now," Mohji turned to Lucy, "Tell me where Roronoa Zoro is."

Lucy pouted, "No!"

"Well, I don't really like having to kill a girl, but," Mohji started, "KILL HER, RITCHIE!" The lion slammed the cage, breaking it.

_'Yeah! The cage is broken!' _Lucy thought; however, the lion punched her, sending her flying into one of the houses.

"She dies," Mohji simply said, "Okay, Ritchie, let's go find Zoro. After we beat him we'll become famous," Mohji looked at Ritchie, "Hm? What's wrong? Oh, I see, this is a pet food store. Alright, if you want food, make it quick!" Ritchie growled, "What? Don't tell me that dog is really guarding that store." As Mohji got closer, ShuShu began to bark at them.

~.~

"Eh, that really surprised me," Lucy said, rubbing her head, "But, I _did _get out of that cage. Alright! Now I'm gonna beat their sorry asses, and make Nami our navigator!" Suddenly, Nami and the mayor came out from hiding.

"How are you still alive?" Nami demanded.

"She's alive!" the mayor exclaimed.

Lucy looked at them, "Is it bad that I'm alive?"

"You destroyed that entire house. It's strange that you're still so lively!" Nami explained.

"Really?" Lucy asked, dusting herself off.

"What's your reason for coming to this town?" the mayor asked, "Why're you involved with those pirates?"

"I just found my reasons," Lucy said, "The map of the Grand Line, and a navigator!" Lucy suddenly began running, "That guy in the costume said he was looking for Zoro. I'm gonna take a look."

~.~

_"To ShuShu, this place is his treasure. This store is what his master left him, and it's what he wants to protect."_

Lucy watched the dog bark in howl in sorrow as the pet store went in flames. Her onyx-like eyes filled with anger.

~.~

"Shit," Mohji said as he looked at his wrist, "that idiot dog actually bit me."

Suddenly, Lucy appeared, blocking Mohji's path.

"Hey, didn't I just kill you back there?" Mohji asked in confusion.

Lucy giggled, "I'm not gonna die from just that!"

"This time, Ritchie will bite your head off!" Mohji exclaimed as he jumped off Ritchie. Ritchie charged at Lucy.

"Like a lion can do anything to me!" Lucy yelled as she twisted her arms and grabbed Ritchie.

"RUBBER...SCREW!" Lucy yelled, her twisted arms throwing Ritchie in the air, falling hard.

"Ritchie!" Mohji yelled, "What are you!"

Lucy stayed in place, "I...ate the Rubber Fruit."

Mohji began sweating bullets, "Could it be that you're like Captain Buggy, having the power of the Devil's Fruit?"

Lucy didn't move.

Mohji started panicking, "I-I understand. I apologize for everything that happened here!"

Lucy stood, her back facing Mohji, "It doesn't matter if you apologize, because that dog's treasure won't come back, that's why," Lucy looked him in the eye, "I'll kick your ass!" Lucy grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the ground. Hard.

~.~

Nami looked at the pile of wood that was left of the store, "This one or that one, all pirates are the same! Destroying people's treasure without a thought." Just then, Lucy came back.

"Oh, pirate, you're still alive?" Nami asked her, smirking, "I thought that lion would've eaten you already," her expression turned to anger, "You're a pirate! You'll do those same things!" Lucy looked at her, "Before you can gather a crew to fight together...I'll kill you right here!" Nami yelled. The mayor held her back.

"Stop that, young girl!" the mayor said to her.

Lucy began walking toward ShuShu, "You don't have the power to kill me.

"I haven't started with you yet!" Nami said back.

"Stop it!" the mayor yelled, "What's wrong with you?"

Lucy looked at ShuShu and handed him a box of pet food and sat next to him, "This is all I could bring back," she started, "He ate everything else, already."

_'He,' _Nami thought, _'fought with that lion, just for that dog?'_

"You fought bravely!" Lucy said, "Although I didn't see it, I can tell."

ShuShu grabbed the box with his mouth and walked past Lucy. At a certain point she stopped and lightly barked at Lucy.

Lucy grinned, "Yeah! You do your best, too!" With that, ShuShu walked away. Nami smiled.

~.~

"I'm sorry about before," Nami said, "for thinking you were bad."

Lucy grinned at Nami, "No problem! You have your reasons," she said, standing up, "I don't want to hear them, though."

The mayor turned angry, "I'm so useless! Both ShuShu and the brat fought hard, but I, the mayor, can't do anything to save this town!"

Nami and Lucy ran in front of the mayor, "Mayor, calm down!"

"Forty years ago, this place was just a field," the mayor started, "We worked together to build houses and stores. That's how this town was born. Whether they're citizens or another part of the town, they're all treasure to me! I can't let them do whatever they want to this town!"

Suddenly, another Buggy Ball was fired, destroying more of the town.

"Even my own house," the mayor said.

Lucy's mind clicked, "ZORO WAS SLEEPING IN THERE!" Lucy ran to the wreckage.

"Is he dead?" the mayor asked.

"ZORO! Are you okay?" Lucy asked, fretting.

"What an awful way to wake a person..." Zoro said. Lucy giggled.

"I want to sleep some more..." Zoro whined.

Nami sweat-dropped, "Why is he alive?"

"Thank goodness!" Lucy said, hugging Zoro. Zoro blushed light pink.

"Something like this is unforgivable," the mayor muttered, "I can't take it anymore! They have no right to destroy our forty years of hard work!" he said, clenching his hands, "I'm the mayor of this town! I WILL PROTECT THIS TOWN!" he yelled, ready to charge. Now it was Nami's turn to hold him back.

"W-Wait a minute, Mayor!"

"As a man, I must fight until the death! Am I right, brat?"

Lucy grinned, "That's right, old man!"

"Don't encourage him!" Nami yelled at Lucy, "What can you do against that guy? It's reckless!"

"I know it's reckless!" the mayor responded. Nami let go of him out of shock.

"JUST YOU WAIT, BUGGY THE CLOOOWN!" he yelled as he ran.

"The mayor was crying," Nami said.

Lucy looked surprised, "Really? I didn't see it."

"Seems like it's getting crowded," Zoro said.

Lucy laughed, "Looks like it."

"This isn't the time to laugh!" Nami exclaimed.

Lucy looked at her, "Don't worry. I like that old man. I won't let him die!"

"If you say so..." Zoro said, beginning to walk after him.

"You're going, too? With that injury?" Nami demanded.

"An injury like this," Zoro started, "Hurts my name more then me."

"Our destination is the Grand Line," Lucy said bluntly, "We're going to get that map back from those pirates!" Lucy looked at Nami, "Join us, Nami."

Nami looked at her in the eye, "I will not become a pirate," she started, "but I will join you guys, for the sake of our dreams." Lucy grinned.

~.~

"The second one is ready, Captain Buggy."

Buggy smirked, "Good. Fire."

"BUGGY THE CLOWN! COME OUT!" the mayor yelled, "I AM MAYOR BUDOR! In order to protect my precious town, I will fight you!"

"Are you an idiot?" Buggy called down, "The only thing that are precious are gold and jewels! Is this town your treasure? You're talking out of your ass!"

"A bastard like you will never understand my feelings!" Budor retorted. Buggy used his power to pick him up by the neck.

"I'm a man who's about to enter the Grand Line, and gather all the treasure in the world! All the treasure in the world belongs to me. No one else in the world will get any. Since this town is so precious to you, I'll let you get destroyed along with it!"

"Before you keep talking bullshit, fight me!" Budor retorted again.

"Don't make me laugh," Buggy said.

"I won't let you destroy this town, even if I lose my life!" Budor declared.

"I'll kill you-GAH!" Buggy looked down to see Lucy rip his hand from Budor, "The girl with the straw hat!"

Lucy looked at Buggy, "As promised, I came to kick your ass!"

~.~

**Yay! I'm one chapter closer to being finished with Buggy, and going to Usopp! That'll be a while though, since it's the third day since I started this story and I only have seven chapters up -.-' . Oh well, it's all for you, the reader, so I'll try to bust my ass to get the chapters up faster, but this'll probably be the last one up today, since I gotta go somewhere, then do shitty homework, but ah well. Hopefully I can get at least one more chapter up today, but don't get your hopes up. I got a few ideas for ZoroXLucy moments, but it may be awhile before they get posted. Until then, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Another One_**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**[REVIEW]**


	8. Lucy VS Buggy!

**Wolfy-tan: :D Here's the eighth chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 8: Lucy VS Buggy! Devil Fruit Powers Clash!_**

"Straw Hat!" Buggy said, reconnecting his hand to his body. Buggy glared at them, "You bastards! You have the nerve to return here?"

Nami faced Zoro, "Listen up. All I want is the map and treasure. That's it."

Zoro smirked, "Yeah, I know."

Budor began coughing, "You brats, why are you here? You outsiders need to mind your own business. This is my fight; this is my town! I'm going to protect it!" he stood up, holding his spear, "Don't interfere-!"

_**BAM!**_

"Wha..?" Nami stuttered, her jaw practically dropped. Zoro just looked.

"What on earth are you doing?" Nami said as she watched Budor fall from being hit into the wall, "Why did you do that to Mayor?"

Lucy simply dusted off her hands, "He was in the way!"

"Good idea," Zoro said, "If the old man fights, he'll just get himself killed. It's better this way."

"Don't be so rash!" Nami yelled at Lucy, "There are better ways to handle a situation!"

Lucy walked in front of Buggy, "Well, here I go!" taking a deep breath, she screamed, "BIIIG NOOOOOSE!" Everyone's jaws dropped.

"You're really pissing me off, you asshole," Buggy said, "You dare call me that? FIRE THE BUGGY BALL, NOW!"

"Why'd you do that, you idiot!" Nami yelled, running away.

"Run, Lucy!" Zoro yelled, grabbing Lucy away from the cannonball. It crashed into the path.

"Zoro..." Lucy muttered. He had grabbed her and taken her to the side, by one of the houses.

"HOW DARE YOU DODGE IT!" Buggy yelled.

"Captain," one of the men said. Captain turned around.

"What do you want, Cabaji?" Buggy asked.

"I can easily take care of them."

"Yes, show them your acrobatics flashily!" Buggy exclaimed. Cabaji jumped off with his unicycle, intending on fighting Lucy, but Zoro blocked him.

"Since you're using a sword, I'll be your opponent," Zoro said.

"That seems fair, Roronoa Zoro," Cabaji started, "to fight you as a swordsman." Cabaji looked down to see his wound.

"Oi, Zoro," Lucy said, "Maybe you should rest more, I can handle them-"

"Don't get in my way!" Zoro interrupted. Cabaji smirked.

_'So you've been stabbed by the Captain, eh? Baka'_

"Acrobatic Special! Old Man's Flame!" Cabaji breathed fire on Zoro, then side-kicked him. Zoro fell back in pain.

"How dirty! He aimed for the wound!" Nami exclaimed.

"Acrobatic Special! Murder under a Cloud of Smoke!" he said as he circled his sword, making a cloud of dust. When Zoro was completely engulfed by it, he attacked Zoro with his sword, Zoro blocking it, but then side-kicked him at his wound again.

"He did it again!" Nami exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Cabaji teased, "This is pathetic for a great man such as yourself." Zoro kept heavily breathing. "Have you realized it yet? It's foolish to go against Buggy's crew!"

"How can he fight someone like that with that wound?" Nami pondered, "It's a wonder that he's even allive!" Nami looked at Lucy, "What're you doing? He's gonna get killed!" Lucy just watched expectantly.

"Time to die, Roronoa Zoro!" Cabaji yelled as he charged with his unicycle.

"Annoying bastard," Zoro muttered as he stood up, "Is stabbing my wound, that much fun?" he said as he let Cabaji stab his wound. Nami covered her eyes and Lucy flinched. "Are you satisfied? I'll show you the difference between us two."

"Waaaa! Cool!" Lucy cheered.

"So this is Roronoa Zoro," Cabaji muttered, "I underestimated you."

"I plan on being the world's greatest swordsman! I can't be defeated in a fight! Not even once!"

"I see," Cabaji concluded, "You wanted to show me your strong will. Don't worry, though. You can't beat me with just that; though it certainly can be your excuse for losing," he said, raising his sword.

"Don't joke around," Zoro said, "If I lose to someone like you because of a wound like this, I can't imagine what kind of future I'd have!" Zoro finished, putting his sword in his mouth.

"Go, Zoro!" Lucy cheered.

"Go ahead and do what you want," Nami started, "You pirates can just kill each other. Whether you guys win or lose, it doesn't matter to me," she said, walking away, "I'll just find the treasure myself, then it's farewell."

"Eh?" Lucy said.

"If fate has it, we'll work together again, see ya! Good luck!"

"Yeah, good luck!" Lucy said back.

Anyways...

"Now for my best acrobatic special!" Cabaji said, spinning tops on his hand.

_'Hm?'_ Zoro thought.

"Acrobatic Special, Hundred Spin Tops Wind Attack!" he said, throwing a hundred spinning tops at Zoro.

~.~

"Those two aren't normal, Lucy and Zoro," Nami said to herself, "nothing good will come out of working with them." She ripped open the latch to the safe, sprinting down the steps. "Here it is," she said, grabbing a random weapon, "This is my opportunity to grab the treasure _and _the map!" she said as she broke the lock.

~.~

Zoro simply cut all the spinning tops.

"Acrobatic Special! Climbing up the Mountain!" he said as he pedaled up a house with his unicycle.

_'Nani?' _Zoro thought to himself.

"Acrobatic Special! Rising Fireworks!"

"Waaaa! That's high!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Single Flower Vase!" Cabaji exclaimed.

"Crawling Seperation Cannon!" yelled Buggy as he sent his hand flying to Zoro.

"Cabaji! I'll hold him! You finish him off!" Buggy yelled, "Finish him!"

"As you wish, Captain Buggy!" Cabaji responded.

Lucy stomped on Buggy's hand before it could get to Zoro.

"That hurts!" exclaimed Buggy. Zoro was able to dodge Cabaji.

"Lucy!"

"You!" screamed Buggy.

"Zoro's fight," Lucy said with a terrifying face, "is not for you to interrupt!"

~.~

Nami lit her lantern and looked at all the treasure, "Wow, so much! All of this is mine!" she said as she played with the treasure. Suddenly, a sword was pointing at her. She turned around.

"What're you doing to our treasure?" the lookout pirate said.

_'Crap! He woke up!'_

"Captain Buggy said whoever comes in here...huh?" he shook his bottle, "no more sake?"

Nami smirked when she realized he was drunk, "Oh!" she acted as she fell down, "It hurts!"

"W-What? What's wrong?" he stuttered.

"My chest began to suddenly hurt!"

"What? You're chest?" he started to drool at the cleavage.

"Hmph," she said as she unleashed her wooden pole and whacked him in the head, "Haha...huh?" she saw a key on a necklace he had. She used it to unlock the chest that was in the middle of it all. Her face brightened when she saw the map of the Grand Line.

~.~

Cabaji looked down at Zoro, "I don't need the Captain's help to defeat someone like you."

"That's enough, I'm tired," Zoro said.

Cabaji laughed, "so you've finally given up on the fight? I'm surprised you fought with that wound til now."

"You misunderstood," Zoro said, "I'm tired of your useless acrobatic specials."

"Then I will finish you off in one strike!" he said, "with my true sword technique!"

Zoro stood up, "DEVIL...STRIKE!" Lucy smirked. Cabaji's blood spurted.

"The Buggy Crew...was defeated by...puny thieves..." Cabaji muttered.

"Not thieves," Zoro said, collapsing, "pirates," Zoro looked at Lucy, "Lucy! I'm going to sleep."

"Yeah," Lucy said, "I'll take care of the rest."

"Tch," Buggy muttered.

~.~

"This is the kind of treasure I expected from that devil Buggy," Nami said, taking a break from hauling the treasure, "I'm having trouble hauling it. But with this much treasure..." her smile dropped, then reappeared, "Well, anyway, I gotta hurry and get this treasure off the island!"

~.~

"You guys are pirates?" Buggy asked.

"Yeah. We're heading to the Grand Line." Lucy answered.

"Cheh! That's not a place that you can just casually go to, idiot! Even if you enter the Grand Line, what'll you do? Go site-seeing?" Buggy asked laughing.

"Become the Pirate Queen," Lucy responded. Buggy stopped laughing.

"Stop fooling around, you idiot! You're going to be the Pirate Queen? Then I'm a god!" he said sarcastically, "I'm going to be Pirate King and get all that treasure! Stop dreaming!"

"You talk too much," Lucy said bluntly, "Bring it on."

"Your straw hat reminds me of _that _man," he said, unsheathing many daggers, "it pisses me off! That despicable red-haired bastard!"

"Red-head?" Lucy asked, "Do you mean Shanks?"

"Hm? What of it?"

"Where is he now?" Lucy asked desperately.

"Like I would tell you something you want to know. I'm not that nice of a guy."

"You're not nice at all," Lucy added.

"SHUT UP!" Buggy yelled. Lucy got into a fighting stance.

"I guess I'll just have to beat it outta ya!" Lucy said.

Buggy chuckled, "You'll be dead before you even get the chance!" Buggy retorted.

"SEPERATION JAPANESE FIRECRACKER!" Buggy yelled. Lucy simply jumped outta the way.

"If you go up, I can predict your movements!" Buggy said.

"Who said?" Lucy asked as she stretched her arm and grabbed onto a light post, sending her over there.

"NANI?" Buggy yelled, "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?"

Lucy tipped her hat, "I'm a Rubber Girl!"

"So you have Devil Fruit Powers?" Buggy asked. Lucy nodded.

"I see! Interesting," Buggy said.

"Yeah! You, too," Lucy said, "RUBBER...PISTOL!" Buggy simply moved to the side.

"That's an interesting skill, but it left you wide open," he said, dagger in hand. When her hand grabbed onto the tree, Buggy yelled, "I'LL CHOP IT OFF!"

"RUBBER-"

"SEPARATION EMERGENCY ESCAPE!"

"-SICKLE!" before Lucy could hit him, his head detached from the body, sending her flying into a pile of wood. Buggy began laughing hysterically, reattaching his head.

"You're too naive, Rubber Girl."

Lucy burst from the wood pile, "Man, he split into pieces."

"SEPARATION CANNON!" he launched his hand full of daggers at Lucy. Lucy grabbed it just before it touched her face.

"Release"

Luckily, Lucy's head dodged just in time for when the hand flied out of her own. She fell back into the pile.

"HA HA HA! How did you like that- huh?"

Lucy looked down at her hat, her face bleeding, "YOU BASTARD!"

"What? Was it wrong of me to cut your face?" he asked, smirking. She gave Buggy a death glare.

"How dare you damage this hat?"

"Eh?"

"This hat is my treasure! I'll never forgive anyone who does anything to this hat!"

"It seems like the hat has some history to it."

"That's right!"

"Is the hat that important?" he distracted as he threw one of his daggers from behind.

"Tch!" she muttered as it just missed her.

"If it's that important, protect it properly!" he yelled as he shoved his last remaining daggers into the hat. Her eyes widened. An image of Shanks appeared in her head. All the memories of them flashed in her mind.

_"I'll leave this hat in your hands. It's my favorite hat. Treasure it. Someday...bring it back to me, as a great pirate! It's a promise, Lucy!"_ Lucy fell as Buggy studied the hat.

"How is this worn-out hat a treasure?" he asked laughing, "Treasure is gold and silver coins that shine, showing the owner's class. This crappy hat is a treasure? Don't make me laugh!"

"That's Shanks' hat!" Lucy exclaimed.

"What? This is Shanks' hat?" he threw it to the ground, "No wonder it looks familiar. He always wore it next to me!"

Lucy looked up, "Nani? You were on the same ship as Shanks?"

"Yeah, back when I was a beginner pirate. We were shipmates. That damn annoying red-haired bastard!" he yelled, crushing the hat. Lucy gave a death glare.

"How dare you? Shanks was a great man! He was the closest I could have to a father!"

"SEPARATION EMERGENCY ESCAPE!" he said, detaching his head. Lucy tackled his body.

"AAAH!" Buggy yelled, collapsing.

"Shanks is a better pirate then you'll ever be!" she yelled. No one insulted _her _Shanks lives to tell about it. Lucy grabbed him by the neck, her fist ready to punch his face, "Spit it out already! What happened between you and Shanks?"

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, "he is the only man in this world I can never forgive! I will always curse him throughout my life!"

(Buggy tells back-story (sorry, I'm too lazy to write it :D))

"Ehh, so Shanks saved your life!" Lucy concluded.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE! Because of him, I wasn't able to fulfill my plan until ten years! I realized that if I couldn't find the treasure in the sea, I would just get all the treasure on land. I WON'T LET ANYONE WHO STEALS MY TREASURES LIVE!" he said, splitting and rushing past Lucy, "GIVE ME BACK MY TREASURES!"

"Crap! He saw me!" Nami said, running.

"NO MATTER WHERE YOU RUN, I'LL FIND YOU NAMI! I'LL CUT YOU UP-" Nami looked up at Buggy. Lucy smirked. She kicked him in the balls. Hard.

"M-My b-b-balls..." Buggy spit out.

"Your opponent is me."

~.~

"Oi" Lucy said to Nami, "Leave the treasure and run, or he'll come after you again-"

"No! Leave the treasure, you say? Definitely not! Why should I throw away my treasures?"

"Your treasures?"

"Of course! I'm a thief who steals from pirates. Now that I've stolen from one, it makes them mine!" Nami exclaimed.

"Oh, I see!" Lucy said.

"Bullshit! That's my treasure! You think it's yours just because you stole it? What kind of education did you have?"

"How pathetic. A criminal lecturing another criminal is ridiculous!"

"Nani?"

"I won't sink down to the same level as pirates!" Nami said, sticking her tongue out.

"You better prepare yourself, Nami! SEPARATION FESTIVAL!"

"Ah, aah!" Lucy exclaimed as his legs split into multiple pieces.

"If you wanna help your friend, Rubber Girl, you better do it soon!"

"Shit! He split into more pieces!" Lucy looked down to see his shoes walking along. She grabbed his foot out of his shoe and began tickling it, pulling at it, and thrashing it about.

"STOP THAT!" he yelled.

"The one who should stop is you!" Nami yelled, swinging the treasure at Buggy. Buggy smirked, "Thank you for returning it to me." Nami and Buggy then started a tug-of-war battle over the treasure. Just as Buggy was about to stab her with his dagger, Lucy came rushing over.

"Didn't I tell you I'm your opponent?" Lucy yelled, kicking Buggy's torso into the treasure.

"You can take that as a gift from the Mayor," Lucy said.

"Thank you. You saved my life," Nami said.

"No problem," Lucy replied.

Suddenly Buggy rose.

"You're still alive?" Lucy asked.

"Shut up! How dare you inflict so much pain on me?" Nami looked behind and saw his body parts. She ran toward them.

"REASSEMBLE! BODY PARTS!" he looked down and saw he was a chibi-man. "Eh?" They both turned around to see Nami tied up the rest of body parts.

"Looking for these?"

Lucy started giggling, "No wonder your a thief!" she said as she stretched her arms behind her, "RUBBER...BAZOOKA!" she yelled as she sent Chibi-Buggy flying.

"I win!" Lucy yelled. Nami sweat-dropped.

Lucy knelled next to her hat, picking it up.

"Your straw hat is all torn up," Nami stated bluntly. A tear ran down Lucy's face, but she quickly wiped it, but not fast enough for Nami to see it.

"Don't worry about it. I'll sew up your hat later, Nami said. Lucy looked at her, "Really?"

"Yeah," she held up two bags of treasure, "I split the treasure into two bags, will you help me carry one?"

"You never give up, do you."

"Nope!" Nami took out the map of the Grand Line, "Here."

Lucy looked at her, "You're really going to give it to me?"

"You _did _save me."

"Yeah!" Lucy said, tucking the map away and putting the straw hat back on, "Wait, does that mean you'll be our navigator?" she asked.

"I told you, I'm not becoming a pirate, I'm only working with you." Nami said, smiling.

~.~

"Oi, Zoro, wake up," Lucy said, knelling down next to him, "Come on, Zoro, wake up!" she said, shaking his shoulders.

"Is the fight over already?" he asked.

"Yup! We got the map _and_ a navigator!" Lucy said, smiling.

"Eh?" Zoro said, looking at Nami.

"Shit, I'm going to faint again," Zoro stated, "I can't move, either."

"Of course!" Nami exclaimed, "If you could, you guys wouldn't be human!"

"Why am I included?" Lucy asked.

"You're the strangest of all!" Nami bickered, "Anyways, we should check on the Mayor."

"Yeah, we need to wake the old man up!" Lucy said.

"You!" they turned around to see a large of people, "You aren't from around here, are you?" one asked.

"No, you?" Lucy responded.

"We're the residents of this town. What happened to the pirates? If you know anything, please tell us!"

"Ah, you're the residents! For a second, I thought you were more pirates," Nami said.

"Mayor!" they exclaimed as they crowded around him.

"What happened? Get a hold of yourself!"

"Gomen. I had to knock him out," Lucy said. They gave her death glares.

"Nani?"

"Hey! You didn't have to say it!" Nami scolded.

"You saw it."

"I saw it, but there's a good reason-"

"Why did you harm our Mayor?" one asked.

"Who are you people? How're you related to the pirates?"

_'Such a scary vibe,' _Nami thought, _'If we're not careful and use the words thief or pirate-'_

"We're pirates," Lucy stated.

...

"WE THOUGHT SO!" they yelled. Zoro began laughing.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled at Lucy.

"But it's true!"

"How dare you do so much destruction to our village?" Lucy walked over to Zoro.

"What do we do now? They won't believe a word we say," Zoro said.

"Run!" Lucy said as she slung Zoro over her shoulder and ran, Nami staying close behind with her treasure.

~.~

"NANI? You left a treasure bag there?" Nami yelled as they sailed from the pier.

"They'll need it for the repairs of their town, won't they?" Lucy asked.

"I needed that money! How dare you?" Nami yelled as she pulled at Lucy's pigtails.

"OW OW OW! Stop it, Nami!" Zoro just laughed. When she finally escaped Nami's clutch, Lucy hurried and hid behind Zoro.

"Damn it, she really pulls hard..." Lucy whined as she latched onto Zoro. He simply blushed, but he was used to it and put his hand around her waist, looking out at the sea. Meanwhile, Lucy was in her thoughts.

_'That nightmare I had last night...how horrible...I hope it wasn't another vision...' _Just thinking about it, her fingers clenched on Zoro's shirt tighter. Zoro looked down at Lucy, and noticed she was crying.

"Lucy?"

~.~

**I'm done! I've finished the chapter, finally! Thank goodness! I can finally start on Usopp! Well, my plans are cancelled today, since our only car is jacked up. Just gives me more time to write, though. I combined episodes 7 and 8, because I felt like they shouldn't of been separated. Remember to R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

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	9. Usopp, The Proud Liar!

**Wolfy-tan: Another chapter's up! Chapter nine!**

**pachinko* = Japanese pinball**

**Teme* = rude way of saying "You"**

**Onibaba* = witch or hag**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 9: Usopp, the Proud Liar! What's Up With Lucy Lately?**_

"We can't go to the Grand Line like this," Nami said. Lucy took a bite from her apple.

"You're right, Nami," Lucy started, "We're gonna need meat. All we ever eat is fruit!"

"Don't forget sake," Zoro added. He earned himself an apple thrown at his head by Nami.

"I'm not talking about that! We need a good ship," she said, "I mean, look at these! It has no weapons on it, and we have to sleep so uncomfortably! There's no way we can head to the Grand Line like this! We'll be shot down in a second!" she looked at her map, "If we head south, we can go to this small island, and see if we can get a better ship."

"Yeah, and we can get meat!"

"And sake!"

"Is that all you two think about?"

Lucy giggled, but her smile didn't stay long.

_'I had the same dream last night...what's going on?'_ she pondered to herself as she looked out at the ocean. Zoro and Nami immediately noticed her strange behavior. They exchanged confused glances. They had no idea what was running through her mind.

They could both tell there was something off about her lately. Ever since yesterday, when they left the island after beating Buggy, she had been acting weird.

_'There's definitely something wrong,' _Zoro thought as he studied her unreadable face.

~.~

"PIRATES ARE COMING! THEY'LL BE HERE ANY SECOND NOW EVERYONE RUN! PIRATES!" Usopp yelled as he ran down the neighborhood, "The pirates...are a lie!" he yelled. The residents chased him, throwing insults when possible. He eventually escaped by climbing a tree.

"I did a good deed today," he said to himself, "I was able to liven up the village a little."

"There he is!" Usopp looked down, "Oh, it's you guys!" he said, jumping down.

"Good morning, Captain Usopp!" his mini-crew said, "the Usopp Crew is here."

"Pepper, Carrot, where's Onion?" Usopp looked around. They then heard Onion screaming.

"It's horrible! Horrible!" Usopp looked at Pepper and Carrot and shrugged his shoulders.

"Pirates are here! There's a boat of pirates heading for our village!"

"It was a lie," Usopp said to Onion.

"It's true!" Onion yelled.

"True?" Usopp said.

"It's true! This is bad!"

"Oh no! It's time for my snacks!" Usopp yelled, running away.

"Don't escape!" his three crew members yelled.

"But I'm ill. If I don't eat them, I'll die."

"Liar!"

Carrot stepped up, "Captain, didn't you say you wanted to be a real pirate? How can a real pirate be afraid of other pirates?"

"I saw the mark of Buggy the Clown," Onion added.

"B-B-B-Buggy?" Usopp stuttered.

"But there were only two small boats!" Onion said, "I could only make out three people."

"Alright, let us prepare! The Usopp pirate crew will protect the peace of the village!" The crew sweat-dropped, "Crew, follow me!"

"Hai!"

~.~

"Aah, does it feel good to be on land!" Zoro exclaimed as he stretched.

"So the village is further down that way?" Lucy said, pointing to the path.

Nami nodded, "Yeah, it's a small village, though."

"There'll be meat in there, right? Right?" Lucy asked, the thought of meat imprinted into her mind.

"Is all you ever think about is meat?"

"Someone's here," Zoro said, his hand instinctively going to his sword.

"Where? Where?" Lucy asked, looking around.

"Watch out!" Zoro said, Lucy suddenly being attacked, trying to avoid the bullets. Suddenly, pirate flags were being raised everywhere.

"I am the leader of the great pirate crew that conquered this village, Usopp! I am praised and addressed as Captain Usopp!" Lucy looked at him closely. _'Could he be...?'_

"If you're going to attack the village, don't waste your time, or else my eighty million men will crush you like a bug-"

"That's a lie," Nami interrupted.

"Gah, she saw through it," Usopp said, panicking.

"See, he said I saw through it," Nami stated.

"You saw through it; this is bad," Usopp said, "Okay, eighty million might've been an exaggeration, but I have many strong and powerful comrades!"

"All three of them?"" Nami asked.

Onion, Pepper, and Carrot all jumped out, "Ah! She found!" they yelled, running away.

"Oi, you guys! Don't run away!" Usopp called out, but they didn't listen.

"A pirate that uses pachinko*, I've never heard of one," Nami said, picking up one of the pachinko that was fired at Lucy.

Lucy giggled, "You're an interesting fellow, Usopp."

"Oi, teme*! Don't laugh at me! I'm a man of great pride, so much that I'm called Usopp the Proud!" Usopp yelled as he readied his slingshot. "As you saw, my skill with pachinko is better then a pistol."

"Now that you've readied your weapon," Lucy said, "are you willing...to fire it?"

"Eh?" Usopp flinched.

"You compared it to a pistol. Pistols aren't made for threatening or scaring someone.

Zoro smirked, "I can assure you that this girl who stands before you is a for-real pirate."

Usopp began sweating bullets. His hand became so sweaty, that his hand messed up on the slingshot, the pachinko falling under him, "As I thought. A real pirate's speech is much more intiminating."

Lucy and Zoro exchanged looks and started laughing.

"That wasn't even an original speech," Lucy said, "The pirate I have a deep respect for, Red-Haired Shanks, said that ten years ago."

"Sh-Shanks, you say?" Usopp stuttered, "You know the famous Red-Haired Shanks?"

"Yeah," Lucy said, "Your father's name was Yasopp, wasn't it?"

Usopp fell down the small cliff from shock, "It's true that Yasopp is my father's name," Usopp started, "but how do you know this?"

Lucy grinned.

~.~

Lucy ripped off a big hunk of meat from her meal.

"So? How do you know my father?" Usopp asked. Lucy swallowed her food.

"I met him when I as a little kid," Lucy answered, "You look so much like him. I thought you were his son right when I saw you; the only differences I can make out are your nose and your hair," Lucy said, chomping off another piece of meat. She grabbed an apple, "He was the best sniper I ever met."

Lucy thought about all the times Yasopp talked about Usopp, "He talked about you so much that my ears would practically bleed. But he was a great pirate."

"Exactly what I thought!" Usopp said, "To disregard his own life and indulge himself in the vast and endless sea...I feel so proud of my father."

"Hey," Nami nudged at Usopp, "Is there anyone who can sail or acquire a large ship in this village?"

Usopp sighed, "As you can see, this village is very small. Sorry, but there's no one here who can fulfill your request."

Zoro looked out the window, "On top of the hill," Usopp tensed, "There's a large mansion up there."

Nami's eyes brightened, "Do you know them, Usopp? Perhaps they can give us some financial support-"

"Don't go there!" Usopp yelled, catching the others off-guard, "I-I suddenly remembered that I have to go somewhere! I'm good friends with this shop owner, so you can order whatever you like. I'll see you later!" Usopp said as he rushed off. Lucy took a bite from her apple.

Nami looked at the entrance/exit, "He was in such a hurry; I wonder where he went."

~.~

"You want to see Usopp?" Kurahadol asked as he poured Kaya her water, "Not this again."

"It'll be fine," she protested, "I just want to talk to him."

"You cannot," he said, pushing up his glasses, "That man is the number one liar in this village. His lies would be too much of a shock to a weak young lady such as yourself."

"But-"

"Your parents instructed me time and time again to protect you under all circumstances," he said, pushing up his glasses again, "Now, I will leave your medicine here. Please remember to take it on time."

As he neared the door, she muttered, "Stingy."

"I'm okay being stingy. No means no," he said as he left.

~.~

Usopp checked to make sure the guards didn't see him before taking out the block of hedge and snuck in, "Sorry to intrude." He threw a pebble at her window then climbed up the tree.

"Usopp-san!" Kaya said enthusiastically as she opened her window.

"Yo, you look weak as usual."

"Gomenosai, I really wanted to treat you like a guest, but Kurahadol just won't agree to it," she said, frustrated, "but he's not a bad guy."

"Don't worry about it," Usopp started, "After all, I'm a brave warrior of the sea! I would probably suffocate to death if I was in such a small room."

"So what tale are you going to tell me today?" Kaya asked in anticipation.

"Hmm...let's see..." he said, thinking, "Okay! I'll tell you about the time I fought a goldfish when I was five-years-old."

"Goldfish?"

"Yeah. First of all, what really surprised me was how big its droppings were! It was so big, that I thought it was land, so I docked out and stepped on it!" Usopp and Kaya began laughing.

~.~

Onion, Pepper, and Carrot tip-toed near the store the Straw Hat Pirates were at. When they hid behind the store, they began whispering to eachother.

"Are you sure it's this place?" Pepper asked.

Onion nodded, "I saw those pirates take him here. We have to rescue him!"

"But they're real pirates," Carrot added, "We might get barbequed!"

"Idiot!" Pepper exclaimed, "the only thing that eats pirates is Onibaba*." They all peeked through the window and immediately hid.

"Listen," Pepper whispered, "Everyone needs to be alert and ready." They nodded and put their wooden swords together.

"This will be the Usopp Pirate Crew's greatest battle!" Pepper exclaimed. They nodded at eachother and entered the store, "The Usopp Pirate Crew has arrived!" they said in unison. Lucy and Nami looked at the kids, "Hm?" The kids sweat-dropped.

"The captain isn't here!" Carrot exclaimed.

"Don't tell me-" Onion said.

Pepper ran to the Straw Hat Pirates' table, "H-Hey you pirates, what have you done to Captain Usopp?"

Lucy stretched, "Eh, that was some good meat!"

"Meat?" the kids asked in unison.

Onion whispered, "Don't tell me the Captain was..." Nami began laughing, covering her mouth.

"W-What have you done?" Pepper asked as Carrot and Onion held on to him.

"Your Captain was..." Zoro said, putting on a scary face, "eaten!"

"AAH!" they screamed as they looked at Nami, "ONIBABA!"

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?" Nami screamed as she hit each of them in the head. Lucy and Zoro burst out in laughter as Zoro wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist. As soon as he noticed, he retreated his arm as fast as he could. _'The sake must be getting to my head,'_ he thought, blushing.

~.~

"Aah, it was just a joke!" Pepper said in relief as the crew led them to Kaya's mansion.

"Waah, It's HUGE!" Lucy exclaimed in awe.

"If you can't find the captain around this time, he's probably here," Onion said.

"Why does he come here?" Lucy asked.

"To lie," Carrot answered.

"That's not something he should do!" Nami protested.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Pepper said, "Look, it's different, alright?"

"What do you mean by that?" Zoro asked.

"Lady Kaya lives in here and she is very weak. A year ago, her parents died of an illness, and she's been depressed ever since. Despite all the money she has, there was nothing they could do to cheer her up."

"That's why Captain makes outlandish stories to make her laugh."

"Captain's lying ability is first-class."

"So he's a good guy," Lucy concluded. The kids nodded.

"I like the way he sticks his nose in other people's business," Carrot said.

"I like the way he overreacts at everything," Pepper added.

"I like the way he lies," Onion concluded.

"And has that lady cheered up?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, she has," Carrot answered.

"Good! Then let's go and ask her if she can get us a ship," Lucy suggested.

"You're not the one who cheered her up," Zoro added.

"Getting in is an impossible task," Pepper said, "There are very large bodyguards guarding the gates at all times." They looked to where Lucy was and noticed she wasn't there.

"Let's go and take a look," Lucy said, climbing the gate.

"Don't tell me you're-"

"Rubber..." the kids screamed.

"He stretched his arms all the way down there!" Onion yelled.

"SORRY TO..." everyone hurried and grabbed onto Lucy.

"INTRUDE!" she yelled as she sent them flying in the air.

~.~

"-Then we threw a huge pachinko down from the sky, scaring them away, and that's how we won!" Usopp concluded.

"What?" Kaya said, pointing to the sky.

"Yahoo!" Lucy yelled. Lucy and Nami fell into a bush, cushioning their fall. The Usopp Pirate crew fell onto the grass; however, Zoro wasn't as lucky. He landed straight on the stone path.

"Successful entry!" Lucy announced.

"No it wasn't!" Nami yelled.

"Are you okay?" Kaya asked from the window.

"It-It's alright, Kaya! You see, these people heard about how awesome I am, so they came to join the Usopp Pirate Crew!"

Lucy got up, "Actually, we just came to ask a favor."

"A favor? For me?" Kaya asked.

"Yeah. We need a large ship-"

"What're you doing here?" Kurahadol said, walking up.

"Kurahadol," Kaya whispered.

"You're trespassing," Kurahadol said, pushing up his glasses, "and causing trouble here."

"Who's he?" Lucy asked.

He merely pushed up his glasses.

~.~

**Done! I'm sorry it's up so late, but I had to go to stupid school. -.-' Even worse, the state testing is starting tomorrow. -.-'' Though it's not hard, it takes so much time. They give us THREE DAMN HOURS just to finish and itty bitty section in the packet. IT SUCKS, MAN. I wish I could just spend the whole day writing chapters for this. Wouldn't that be the good life. So, I'm going to be starting something for this Lucy that's not in the original series, you've already seen a tiny preview of it in this chapter and last chapter. Hopefully, I'll get time to work on it more. Sorry if the spelling sucks, I'm not a good guesser when it comes to spelling.'Til then, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**RedRose43**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**Anonymous**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

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	10. Kurahadol the Caretaker!

**Wolfy-tan: How are you this fine day? Here's the tenth chapter!**

**Ojou-sama* = title for the daughter of a high-class family**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 10: Kurahadol the Caretaker! He's Really Captain Kuro?**_

"Excuse them, Kurahadol," Kaya said, "These people are-"

"You don't need to tell me now," Kurahadol said, pushing up his glasses, "I will listen to your explanation later. For now, I'd like all of you to leave here at once. Or do you people have something to say?"

"Yeah," Lucy said, "Yeah. We need a ship, you see-"

"Definitely not!" Kurahadol exclaimed. Lucy bent down in defeat, Zoro putting his hand on her shoulder as consolation.

"Usopp-kun!" Kurahadol yelled.

Usopp had been hiding behind the tree, _'Crap!'_

"I hear rumors about you all the time; you're pretty famous in this village, aren't you?" Kurahadol asked sarcastically.

Usopp chuckled, "Really?"

"So you have faced so many dangers before," Kurahadol said with a tone, "That's something at such a young age."

"You may address me as Captain Usopp," Usopp said, pointing to himself, "That'll help me spread the name around."

"Captain, eh...?" Kurahadol muttered to himself, "I've even heard stories about your father."

"Nani?" he said, flinching. Kaya looked at his reaction.

"Kurahadol, stop this at once!" she yelled.

"You're just the son of a low-class pirate!" he continued, ignoring Kaya. Lucy looked at him under the shade of her hat.

"Although anything you do won't be much of a surprise, but I'd like to ask you to please stop pestering Ojou-sama*."

Usopp glared at him, "You called my father low-class...?"

"You come from a completely different world from Ojou-sama. Don't you want money? How much do you want?"

"That is enough, Kurahadol! Apologize to Usopp-san at once!"

"Kaya, that's dangerous!" Usopp said, referring to how she was practically hanging out of her window.

"Why should I apologize to such a barbaric man, Ojou-sama? I am only speaking the truth. I do sympathize you. You must be filled with hatred for your idiot of a father for leaving you and your mother to look for treasures as a pirate!"

"Kurahadol!" Kaya yelled, getting pissed at Kurahadol.

"You bastard, you better stop insulting my father!" he said, jumping from the tree.

"Why are you getting so mad?" Kurahadol asked, "It's times like these where you should do what you do best; lie. Just say you have nothing to do with your father, or that you're not really birth-related-"

_**SMACK!**_

"Shut up!" Usopp said, punching Kurahadol.

"See that?" Kurahadol asked, "He immediately turned to violence. No wonder they say 'Like father, like son'."

"Shut up! I'm proud that my father is a pirate! Being a brave warrior of the sea, I'm proud of him! It's true; I'm a liar. But pirate blood flows within me! That kind of honor cannot be imitated! I'm the son of a pirate!"

"Pirates are warriors of the sea, eh? You're pretty naive to have such ideaology."

"Nani?"

"But this does prove barbaric blood flows within you. You take pride in lying and resort to violence when you're angry. Your ultimate goal is to get wealth from Ojou-sama! That's why you work so hard to get close to her!"

"What are you saying? I-"

"Whether or not you have some secret motive, the fact you were born from a pirate is enough!"

Usopp grabbed him by the collar, his fist ready to punch at any moment, "You insulted him again!"

"Stop this, Usopp-san!" Kaya yelled, "Please don't act out of violence again. Kurahadol is not a bad person. He's only being over-protective of me."

Reluctantly, Usopp released him.

"Get out of here." Kurahadol said, "Don't ever come again!"

"I get the picture," Usopp said, "I would've left even if you didn't tell me," he walked past Kurahadol, "I'll never come back."

"Usopp-san..." Kaya said softly.

"You bastard!" Carrot yelled out, "Stupid caretaker! Our captain isn't that kind of person!"

"That's right, you idiot!" Pepper joined in.

"Baka!" Onion said.

"Baka!" Lucy yelled, about to charge, but Zoro picked her up by her collar, "Why're you butting in all of a sudden?"

Kurahadol glared at the children, causing them to hide behind Nami.

"Let go of me, Zoro! I'm gonna beat his ass!" Lucy said, trying to escape Zoro's hold.

"All of you shall leave at once!" Kurahadol yelled, pushing up his glasses.

~.~

"Hey, where did Lucy go?" Nami asked Zoro.

"Beats me," Zoro said, laying back on the fence, "Maybe he went after Usopp."

"Captain should be 'there,'" Pepper said.

Carrot nodded in agreement, "Yeah, at the coast. Whenever he's troubled, he goes there."

"Want to check on them?" Nami asked.

"I'll pass," Zoro responded, to busy lounging.

"Speaking of which, aren't you guys missing a member?" Nami asked the two kids.

"Onion always disappears to somewhere," Pepper said.

"And then he comes out of nowhere, screaming," Carrot added. Suddenly they saw Onion running to them, screaming.

"It's horrible!" he yelled.

"See?" Carrot said.

"A man doing the moonwalk!" Onion yelled, stopping to catch his breath, "A very weird man is doing the moonwalk!"

"Liar!" Pepper and Carrot said in unison.

"I'm not!" he pointed down the path, "See!" Just then they saw just that; a man doing the moonwalk down the path.

"Who was it?" the man asked, "Who's the man who called me weird?" he did a weird thing with his foot, "I am _not _weird."

"Looks like a wack-job to me," Nami said. He did the weird foot thing again.

"That's ridiculous," he said, "I'm just a hypnotist passing by."

"A hypnotist?" Onion asked.

"Can you demonstrate something?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, show us something!" Carrot joined in.

He did the weird foot thing _again, _"Nani? You must be joking! Why would I show my hypnotic abilities to someone I just met?" he then took out an odd ring thing, "Listen now, just stare at this ring."

Zoro sweat-dropped, "He still does it."

"After saying, one, two, Jango, you will fall asleep. Got it? Here I go..." The kids stared at it intently, "One! Two! Jango!" They immediately fell asleep, but so did the man.

Zoro popped a vein, "Oi! What was that supposed to be?"

~.~

Usopp stared at the waves in frustration.

"Yo!" Lucy said, her feet hanging on the branch above them, "So this is where you were." Usopp spazzed.

"Oh, it's just you. Can't you greet normally next time?" Usopp looked at Lucy, "What is it? What do you want?"

"Nothing really," Lucy said, getting on a handstand and walking, but after a couple steps, she fell, "Ow..." a bit of time passed as she clapped her feet together from habit.

"That damn caretaker," Usopp muttered, "How dare he insult my father."

Lucy stopped her feet-clapping, "Yeah, I don't like him, either. It doesn't matter what people say about Yasopp. He was a great pirate."

"I know!" Usopp said, his excitement building up, "In the Great Pirate Era, my father sails without knowing what's ahead. I'm so proud of him. However, it pisses me off to see someone step on that pride. I'll never forgive him!"

"But will you ever get to see Ojou-sama again?" Lucy asked.

"Don't know," he said, his eyebrow twitching, "maybe if that caretaker comes and begs, I'll consider it."

"That caretaker?" Lucy asked, pointing down near the shore.

"Yeah, that caretaker." he said when he saw Kurahadol walking along the shore with some other man, "Wait, why's he here?" Usopp asked, watching him intently.

"Oi, Jango, didn't I tell you not to attract attention in this village?" Kurahadol said, "Yet, you fall asleep in the middle of the road."

"That's ridiculous," Jango said, "I don't attract attention at all. I'm not weird, either."

"Who's the weirdo with him?" Lucy whispered.

"I've never seen him before," Usopp whispered back, "Who is he?"

Kurahadol pushed up his glasses in slight frustration, "So, are the preparations complete?"

"Of course," Jango replied, "We're ready at anytime; the plan to assassinate Ojou-sama!" Usopp flinched.

"Did he say assassinate?" Usopp asked.

"Don't say assassinate. It makes it sound wicked."

"Ah, right, accident. It was an accident."

"What're they talking about?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Shut up! That's what I'm trying to find out."

"She can't just die. Ojou-sama _has_ to die from an accident. Don't forget that!" Kurahadol said as he walked away. Jango sat on one of the rocks.

"Anyhow, we can't just wait for your signal to attack the village, and then kill Ojou-sama, right?" Jango added, "Then you'll take her inheritance. Kurahadol stopped walking and turned to Jango.

"Are you stupid? Use your brain! How can an outsider take her inheritance?" Kurahadol asked rhetorically.

"Work hard for it!" Jango replied.

"Listen, this is important. You have to hypnotize her to write a will stating she'll give all of her inheritance to me!" Usopp flinched.

"It will be the first step of my plan to take over the huge inheritance. It's...perfect. I wasted three whole years gathering everyone's trust so no one would be suspicious, even if the entire inheritance is to me."

"You became a caretaker for three years just for this," Jango said, "It really surprised me back then, Captain Kuro. Three years ago, you suddenly said you quit being a pirate. You got one of your subordinates to be executed, pretending to be you, just for the world to think Captain Kuro was executed. That marked the beginning of your plan."

"Don't call me that name again," Kuro said, "I gave it up three years ago. I just want lots of money without being hightailed by the Marines. That makes me a peaceful citizen.

Jango laughed, "I never thought _you _of all people would be a peaceful citizen. Just give the signal already. Our boat has been anchored nearby for a week now. My men are getting impatient.

_'This is bad,' _Usopp thought, _'We just overheard something _really _bad.'_

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, clicking her feet together, "It seems like something bad is gonna happen."

"Weren't you listening to the conversation? We're done for, they're _real _pirates!" Usopp looked down, "Captain Kuro is said to be one of the most clever and cruelest among pirates. I heard he was caught and executed by the Marines three years ago. But he's alive, acting as the caretaker, Kurahadol! He's been planning to inherit Kaya's wealth for three years now! The village will be attacked! Kaya will be killed! This is REALLY bad!"

Lucy stood up.

"Oi, if you stand up, they'll see you!" Usopp panicked.

"Oi, you there, don't you dare try to hurt Ojou-sama!" Usopp fell anime-style behind him. Jango and Kuro looked up. Kuro nodded at Kuro.

"It can't be helped," Jango said, "Oi, look at this ring!"

"Okay," Lucy said.

"It's probably a weapon," Usopp said, "Duck down!"

"When I say one, two, Jango, you'll fall asleep, okay? One...Two...Jango!" Usopp, who was hiding, looked at Lucy, who fell asleep.

"Oi, what's wrong, you'll fall!" Usopp said, not knowing she was leaning toward the edge because she fell asleep. She fell down the cliff.

"Ah, she fell down head-first. I didn't mean to kill you." Jango said, "falling from such a height, you can't be saved."

_'That guy just killed her...shit!' _Usopp thought.

"What about the other one?" Jango asked, "Should I finish him off?"

"That won't be necessary," Kuro said, "No matter how many times he'll tell about this, no one will believe him. We'll set off tomorrow morning, Jango. Attack the village at dawn. Don't pay too much attention to the villagers. Make sure you make it look like an accident when you kill Ojou-sama."

"Tomorrow...?"

"Hear that, Usopp-kun? Nothing you do will affect my plan.

_'Damn it!'_ he thought as he ran off screaming.

"DAAAAAAAAAMN!"

~.~

**Done! Sorry I could only post two chapters today. Stupid school takes up time I could be using to type. The only class I like is language arts- that way I can learn more ways to write. 'Til then, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

**[REVIEW]**


	11. The Boy Who Cried Wolf!

**Wolfy-tan: ^.^ here's chapter eleven!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 11: The Boy Who Cried Wolf!**_

"Captain sure is late," Carrot said.

"Lucy, too," Zoro added.

"Maybe it was just too much of a shock," Onion suggested.

"Whenever he gets upset," Pepper said, "he always goes to the coast and stares at the ocean.

Then all of the boys looked down the road to see Usopp fiercely running, "Captain!"

"What's this?" Zoro asked with a worried face, "Lucy should be with him."

"Captain!" the boys yelled excitedly, just to be almost ran over by him.

"Where's Lucy?" Nami asked him, "Didn't she go with you to the coast?" Usopp completely ignored them and kept running.

"Do you think he's still angry about that caretaker insulting his father?" Nami asked.

"Beats me..." Zoro replied.

"No," Carrot said, "his expression was different."

"Something really bad must have happened!" Pepper exclaimed.

"What could of changed his expression like that?" Onion said.

"Oi, how do we get to that coast?" Zoro asked. He was getting _really_ worried now. _'Did something happen to Lucy?'_

"Do you think something happened?" Carrot asked.

"Yeah," Pepper replied, "Something _had _to happen at the coast."

"The Usopp Crew will take action once again!" Onion said, excited.

"I got that already!" Zoro said, exasperated with these kids, "Just tell us how to get to the coast!"

~.~

"EVERYONE! IT'S HORRIBLE! PIRATES ARE AT THE COAST!" Usopp's eye twitched when he saw no one was listening, "Tomorrow morning, the pirates are going to attack this place! Everyone run!" Usopp began sweating, "Everyone...listen! Everyone!" Suddenly, people started to come out of their houses. Usopp smiled in relief, but it disappeared when he saw their pissed off faces.

"Oi, Usopp! Would you cut it out already? Geez."

"We're definitely not letting you get away this time!"

"No, this time I'm really telling the truth!" Usopp said, trying to restore peace.

"Shut up! You've always lied to us."

"If only you were as trustworthy as Kurahadol, then we might believe you." Those words were like a slap in the face to Usopp. _"No matter how hard he tries, his efforts will be useless. We'll set for tomorrow morning, Jango. Attack the village at dawn."_

_'Damn it!' _Usopp thought, _'they didn't pay attention to me because they knew no one would believe me.'_

"Everyone, please listen to me this time!" Usopp yelled, "Pirates are _really_ going to attack this place tomorrow morning!"

"Had we believed your stories, we would've abandoned our homes a several hundred times already!"

"Please believe me! You've gotta hurry! This is for real! Everybody will be killed! This time, it's the solid truth!" Usopp yelled, trying to get them on his side.

"We'll get you for sure this time!"

"DAMN IT!" Usopp yelled as he ran.

"Get him!"

~.~

"This is it," Carrot said.

"Captain always comes here to heal his broken heart," Pepper said.

"It really feels good being here," Onion added. The kids looked around for Lucy, but their effort was fruitless.

"Straw Hat Onee-chan isn't here," Pepper said.

Zoro started to think of where she could be.

"This place is really steep," Nami said, standing on the edge of the cliff.

"Be careful there, Nami," Zoro said.

"Yeah," she said, backing away, but then she noticed something at the shore, "Huh?" she looked closer, her eyes widened, "Everyone, look! Over there!"

Zoro looked, his eyes widened of horror, "Nani?"

They went to the shore to get a closer look. There lay Lucy, laying still, her eyes closed. Her skin was a sickly pale.

"Lucy!" Nami exclaimed.

"She must of fell," Carrot said. Nami put her head on her chest, listening for a heartbeat. Nami sighed of relief when she heard one.

"She's just unconscious. The shock from the impact must of knocked her out, since there are no serious wounds." Nami slightly shook Lucy, and her eyes slowly opened. Her skin was already going back to its healthy tan.

"N-Nani? What happened?" Lucy asked, slowly sitting up. Zoro grabbed her wrist.

"You idiot, that's what we want to know! How did you fall off a cliff?" Zoro demanded, his eyes full of worry, pain, and slight annoyance.

"All I remember is... damn it! Where's Usopp?" Lucy said, quickly standing up in sudden urgency.

"Lucy! Don't get up so quickly or you'll just hurt yourself again!" Nami yelled.

Lucy picked up her straw hat and ran, "No time! I gotta find Usopp!" The others hurried and got up, chasing her.

~.~

Usopp hurried and snuck into the mansion grounds, throwing pebbles at her window, and climbed up the tree.

Kaya opened her window, "I'm relieved, I thought you'd never come back." her smile faded when she saw his expression.

"You gotta run Kaya, or you'll be killed!" Usopp exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Kaya asked.

"You're being deceived," Usopp said, "Your caretaker is actually a pirate!"

"Just a minute," Kaya said, "What kind of joke is this?"

"It's no joke! I heard it with my very ears! Kurahadol is a real pirate who came into this house to steal your fortune. For the past three years, he's been posing as a caretaker as to steal your fortune!"

"What are you talking about, Usopp-san?"

"I heard him talking to an old crew member, saying that they're going to come kill you! He's a cold-blooded killer! Hurry and escape!"

"What he said before did go overboard," Kaya said, "But a lie like this...this isn't like you, Usopp-san!"

"No, I'm not lying!" he looked her straight in the eye, "It's true...IT'S TRUE!"

~.~

"EH? Kaya's going to be killed? The village is going to be attacked? Is this for real, Onee-chan?" the three kids demanded in unison.

"Yeah, that's what they said, not a doubt," Lucy said rather calmly considering how she reacted when she woke up.

"This is _really _bad," Pepper said.

"As we thought, Kurahadol _is _an evil person!"

"It's fortunate you guys heard of this beforehand," Nami said to them, "Now we can escape before they attack; how careless of them."

"That's right!" Carrot said, "We should make a run for it, too!"

"Yeah, we should take just the important stuff," Pepper suggested. They ran off.

~.~

"Captain!" the three kids yelled when they saw Usopp. Usopp quickly wiped his tear and used his armbands to cover where he was shot.

"What's up, you guys?" Usopp said, waving.

"Yo," Lucy waved.

Usopp ran to Lucy, "You're still alive?"

"Alive?" Lucy smiled, "Yeah, I just woke up."

"She was sleeping the whole time," Pepper said.

"Anyways, Captain, we heard everything," Carrot said.

Onion walked up, "We need to hurry and warn everyone about the pirates!"

Usopp looked down for a second, but then he began laughing, "I was just kiddin' like I always do! I got pissed at that caretaker, so I went around saying he was a pirate!"

"Ah, I get it."

"Even Onee-chan was fooled by Captain!" they began laughing, walking away.

"Where you guys going?" Usopp asked.

"I'm starting to lose respect for you, Captain," Carrot said.

"Me too," Pepper said.

"I know that Kurahadol person is a bad guy," Onion started, "but I'd never think you'd lie to hurt someone."

Usopp's smile faded.

"To think we had respect for you, Captain."

"I'm really disappointed, Captain."

"Me too!"

"Let's go home."

"It's dinner time."

"I wonder what we'll have..."

~.~

Usopp made annoying grunts and sounds of pain as Nami cleaned and bandaged where Usopp was shot.

"Okay, that should do it," Nami said.

"Why did you lie to them?" Lucy asked seriously.

"'Coz I'm a liar," Usopp replied, "No one would believe me in the first place. I was too naive."

"Even if you're naive, the truth is the truth," Zoro said.

"Those pirates are really going to attack, aren't they?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, there's no doubt that they're coming," Usopp said, "but everyone thinks it's all a hoax. Everyone thinks that tomorrow will be just another day," he clenched his fist, "But I'll stop those pirates and make sure it was just a lie! That is my duty as a liar!" Usopp looked at his arm, "Even though they shot my arm, chased me all over the village, this is still _my _village! I love this village," tears began raining down, "I want to protect this village!"

Zoro held onto his sword, "Never thought you were that kind of guy, ditching your friends so you can face the enemy by yourself."

"Let me get this straight, I get all the pirate treasure."

"Alright, we'll lend you a hand."

"You guys...are willing to fight beside me? Why?" Usopp asked, stopping his crying.

"Because you'll need all the help you can get," Lucy said.

"If you're scared, we can reconsider," Zoro said.

Usopp stood up, his tears gone, "Me, scared? It doesn't matter how many there are, it's fine by me! For I am the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp!" he looked down, seeing his legs shaking, "This is no small matter! They're Kurahadol's band of pirates! Of course I'm scared! What of it? I won't accept sympathy! Just go home!"

"Do we look like we're laughing? We're doing this because we admire your courage," Zoro said.

"Would we risk our lives for just some little sympathy?" Lucy asked.

Tears began falling again, "Damn...you guys..."

~.~

***Sigh* I'm getting just as impatient as you guys with the ZoroXLucy moments, but please, give me more time to get deeper into my own part of this plot! I have a great idea for a ZoroXLucy when they get the "Going Merry", so please, just be more patient with this. I understand how most of you are getting upset that it's practically exactly like the anime so far, but it'll start to branch off soon. And remember, you're not the only one who's getting impatient with the progress... . 'Til then, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

**[REVIEW]**


	12. The Black Cat Pirates Arrive!

**Wolfy-tan: Happy Tuesday! Here's chapter twelve!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 12: The Black Cat Pirates Arrive! Where Are Lucy and Zoro When You Need Them?_**

"Listen!" Usopp said as they walked up the path, "They're planning to attack the village tomorrow morning at this very coast; however, this is the only route that leads to the village. It's impossible to come up any other way. In other words, if we hold close to this slope, the village won't be attacked."

"Sounds pretty simple to me," Lucy said.

"It's easier said then done; we're gonna need true strength," he said, "What can you guys do?"

"Slicing!"

"Stretching!"

"Thieving."

"I'll be hiding."

"YOU BETTER BE FIGHTING!" the three yelled in his ear, Lucy holding him in a headlock.

"J-J-J-Just joking, I'll back you guys up!" he stuttered, crying anime-style.

~.~

"Kurahadol-san, welcome back," Merry greeted.

"Where is Ojou-sama?" Kuro asked.

"She already went to sleep," Merry responded, "She seemed exhausted.

~.~

"Still, I never thought that such a thing would happen while I was away," Kuro said, loosening his tie, "That Usopp really is a troublemaker."

"He even claimed you were a pirate," Merry laughed, cleaning the chandelier, "Such a ridiculous idea."

Kuro chuckled, not at the idea that he was a pirate but at Merry's stupidity, "It sure is...hm?" he picked up a small wrapped box, "What is this?"

"That's a present from Ojou-sama to you. It's been three long years since you've entered this house. It's an anniversary gift."

"Anniversary..."

"It seems your glasses slip quite often," Merry said, "so Ojou-sama had it custom-made for you. She's so considerate of others," he said, wiping a tear.

Kuro opened it and chuckled, "Anyway, tomorrow will be quite a day to remember."

Merry climbed down the ladder he had been sitting on.

"It's a crescent moon tonight, isn't it?" Kuro asked.

"Huh?" Merry asked, slightly confused.

"It's nights like these that make my chest throb harder and my blood boil for excitement," he said, dropping the glasses and crushing them.

"Kurahadol-san! What do you think you're doing to Ojou-sama's present?"

Kuro crushed it harder, "I've accepted her present. But it's just not the glasses, it's the whole mansion!" Kuro exclaimed, smirking.

"W-What are you talking about?" Merry stuttered.

"There's no need for me to continue this act. In a few hours, an unexpected accident will occur," he said, walking closer to Merry, taking out his blades, "These three years have been too long!"

"Ojou-sama, RUN!" Merry screamed before being sliced by Kuro. Kuro walked into Kaya's room, putting his blade near her neck, but walked away, smirking.

~.~

"Captain Jango!" one of the subordinates said, knocking on the captain's door, "It's almost dawn. Please wake up, Captain Jango!"

The door opened, revealing a moonwalking Jango. The subordinates all said their good mornings to him.

"Idiots!" Jango said, "'Good mornings' should only be said in the morning, in my book!"

"He seems in a bad mood," one whispered.

"Maybe 'cuz he just woke up," another suggested.

"Look up!" Jango said, everyone looking up, "the moon is still high in the sky, so it's still midnight. Remember that clearly!"

"We're wrong, please forgive us!" all the subordinates yelled.

"As long as you get it," he said, doing his weird foot thing, then moonwalking again, "Everyone, good morning!"

"Isn't saying 'good morning' contradicting yourself?" one asked.

"Idiot! This just means he's in a good mood now, that's all!" another yelled.

"I see!" the one responded.

"Comrades," Jango said, busting a move, "let's go!"

The subordinates cheered.

~.~

"Good! It's perfect!" Usopp said, referring to the oil spilled on the slope, "they won't be able to come up now." Nami wasn't paying attention.

"Don't they look cute together?" Nami said, pointing to Lucy and Zoro who were sleeping, Zoro's arm around Lucy, Lucy curled up next to him, her head laying on his chest.

"AH! Why're they sleeping? They'll be here any second now!" Usopp yelled.

Nami sighed, "I suppose we have to wake them up..." she said, nudging them awake. Lucy rubbed her eyes awake and Zoro yawned loudly, trying to wake themselves up. As soon as he saw that his arm was around Lucy, and, even more odd, he sort of _liked __it, _he pulled his arm away and blushed. Nami noticed it and gave him a "Now-I-have-the-perfect-way-to-blackmail-you" look. Zoro tried not to pay attention.

"It's almost dawn," Zoro said, "they should be coming soon."

"This is a pretty neat trick," Lucy complimented, pointing to the oil.

"Of course it is!" Usopp said, "After all, it was _me_ who thought it up!"

They waited for a little bit.

"Not here yet?" Lucy whined, "And it's such a nice day, too. What do you think happened?"

Usopp shook his head, "No way. They're just a little late. They'll definitely come."

Suddenly, Lucy's head began to ache, _'Damn it, not this again...' _Then, rapidly, her headache turned into an excruciating pain. She knelt down, holding her head, screaming from the pain. The others immediately began to panic.

"L-Lucy? W-What's wrong?" Nami asked.

"A-Are you okay?" Usopp asked.

Zoro knelt in front of her, trying to look her in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Zoro asked, his tone holding the most worry of the three. Her eyes snapped open; she immediately looked at Usopp.

"Usopp, they've landed at another shore!" Lucy exclaimed. Everyone was taken back. The three all had the same thought; _'How did she know that?'_

Usopp's eyes widened, "Damn it! they've landed at the north shore! The conversation was held here, so I figured they would come here!"

"We have to hurry!" Lucy yelled.

"Oh no!" Nami yelled, "our ships are docked there! What if they steal the treasure?"

"I'll be there in less then twenty seconds!" Lucy said, darting off.

"Damn, my good plan is in vain!" Usopp yelled, also darting off.

"My treasures..."

"Oi! What're you doing? Let's go!" Zoro said, walking up. Nami followed; however, she slipped on the oil, and she grabbed Zoro's sword, dragging him down also.

"Help me! I'm slipping!" Nami yelled. They fell further down.

"Get off, idiot!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Gomen," she said, then thought of an idea, and smirked, "Well, I'll be going on ahead, then!" she said, using Zoro to help herself up, Zoro falling down further down.

"Sorry, but the treasures are in danger," Nami apologized before heading up, "You'll find a way on your own!" By then, Zoro had slipped the whole way down.

"That woman is unforgivable!" Zoro yelled.

~.~

"Damn!" Zoro yelled as he tried to run up the oil, "I can't get past this...!"

~.~

Lucy breathed heavily, "Why am I out of the village? That's weird. He did say north, so I ran where it was cooler."

~.~

"You're that guy from the other day..." Jango said, "The kid who eavesdropped on our conversation. What do you plan to do?"

"I-I'm warning you! Retreat immediately! Other wise, my 100 million men will dispose of you!"

"100 million men?"

"Does he think he's dealing with children here?"

"Nani?" Jango said, "100 million men? Awesome."

"He's obviously lying, Captain!"

"How can you believe him so easily?"

"Crap," Usopp said, "they saw through it."

"He actually thought we'd buy that..."

"Teme! How dare you try to deceive me?"

"Captain, we have news! We found a 50 million worth bag full of treasure on that puny ship!"

"Why do they have so much on their ship?" Usopp asked himself.

"Those treasures are mine!" Usopp yelled, "I'll give them to you!"

"Nani? You're giving it to us?"

"That's right!" Usopp yelled back, "In return for the treasure, you will retreat!"

"Now he wants to bribe us with money."

"What a despicable guy."

"Are you stupid?" Jango asked, "We're pirates! Of course we'll accept these treasures; however, there is no reason for us to leave."

He pulled out his hypnotizing ring, "After I say: One, two, Jango, you will step out of the way."

"It's that weapon from before," Usopp said to himself.

"One...two...Jan-"

**_THWACK!_**

"Stop making up nonsense!" Nami yelled, whacking him in the head with her wooden pole.

"That hurts!" Usopp yelled, holding the back of his head.

"Wh-Who's that woman?"

"Captain! This is no time to be hypnotized and move out of your own way!"

"The treasures on that ship are all _mine_! I won't let you take a single Berri! You better put it back for your own good!" Nami yelled.

"That really hurts!" whined Usopp.

"How can you hand over _my_ treasures?" Nami asked, irritated with Usopp.

"Couldn't you of just _told _me that?" Usopp retorted.

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked, "I just saved you. I forgot to tell you; never stare at that ring! He's a hypnotist!"

"H-Hypnotist?" Usopp stuttered.

"Where's Lucy?" Nami asked, "Wasn't she the first one here?"

"Beats me," Usopp said, getting up, "She's either still on the way or lost."

"Tch, she's probably lost," Nami concluded, "Geez, just when she's needed, too!"

Just then, the crew began charging.

"That's right," Usopp said, delving into his bag, "I have some caltrops."

"Alright!" Nami cheered, "You've got some useful stuff in there. Gimme, gimme."

"Eat this!" they said together, throwing the caltrops.

~.~

"Damn that Nami!" Zoro yelled in frustration, "Completely unforgivable!" Just then he stabbed the ground with his swords, getting him up without a hassle, "I made it!" he took deep breathes, "Where is that north coast?"

~.~

"Head straight north...head straight north...head straight-GAH!" she yelled, hitting a cliff in the face. She began panting, "Where is north?"

~.~

"Yes! They're working!" Nami exclaimed as the crew screamed in pain from the caltrops.

"Now," Usopp said, aiming his slingshot, "Killing Shooting Star!" he yelled, shooting one man down.

"Bastards!"

Nami patted his back, "Good job! I'm gonna take a short break," Nami said, walking past Usopp.

"You haven't done anything yet!" Usopp protested. She suddenly almost-screamed.

"What is it?" Usopp asked.

"There are caltrops here, too," she said, pointing.

"You moron! How did they get back there?" One of the subordinates snuck behind Usopp.

"You hindrance!" he yelled, hitting Usopp's head with a large hammer. He spit up blood.

"Did you really think you could stop us?" the subordinate asked, "Let's go, everyone! Captain Kuro is waiting!" the rest of the crew cheered. He suddenly felt Usopp's hand on his ankle.

"What's up with this guy? Let go, you bastard! Damn it, you bastard!" he said, stomping on Usopp's head.

"This slope..." Usopp whispered, "I can't let you past it...because I want to keep lying as I've done in the past. This village...will enjoy another peaceful, ordinary day! I won't let you past!"

"Shut up you bastard!" another subordinate said, ready to swing his sword, when Nami hit him back. Another pirate attacked her, sending her to the grass.

"That hurts...!"

"Oi, you guys!" Jango yelled, "Forget about them. We need to hurry, or have you forgotten Captain Kuro's plan? If something were to happen to the plan, we'll _all_ be killed! Understand?"

"Let's go," they said, running towards the village.

_'Please...don't kill them...I love this village!'_

Suddenly, all of the subordinates were sent flying back.

"They're finally here," Nami muttered.

"What's with all the ruckus?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know," Lucy said, panting, "but I'm still pissed off."

"Nami! How dare you trample me down the slope!" Zoro yelled to Nami.

"Usopp, you bastard, you didn't tell me which way north was!" Lucy yelled to Usopp.

"Who're they?" Jango asked himself.

~.~

"They're late," Kuro said, "Those bastards should clearly understand what'll happen if my plans are disrupted," he stood up, "Yet they're taking their time. If they forget the consequences...I'll kill them all!" with that said, he headed toward the coast.

Onion hid behind the tree, "That's Kurahadol from the mansion, alright. Why is he heading toward the coast so early in the morning?"

~.~

**I'm done~~ I'm happy I got an itty bit of ZoroXLucy in there, but I'm still not satisfied. At least I got to add more of my own plot in there, as you read. Because of school, I'll probably be able to write two chapters per weekday. :( 'Til I get my next chapter up, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

**[REVIEW]**


	13. Zoro VS Nyaban Brothers!

**Wolfy-tan: Here's the thirteenth chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 13: Zoro VS NyaBan Brothers! Captain Kuro Enters!**_

"You guys are _that _strong?" Usopp asked. Lucy nodded.

"You guys are way too slow," Nami said.

"It's all thanks to you, dragging me down that oil slick!" Zoro retorted.

"That was an accident," Nami said, "There was nothing I could do about it! Rather then one of us slipping, it'd be better if one of us made it through."

"Then why not you?" Zoro demanded.

"'Go north, go north', you never even told me which way _was_ north!" Lucy argued.

"What? You're the one who ran off, full of confidence!" Usopp pointed out.

"That happened out of habit," Lucy responded, calmer now.

"The sky has been bright for a while now," Jango said, "Captain Kuro is a very impatient man..." he shuddered, "Comrades! Don't tell me you're going to be defeated by mere kids!" they slowly got up.

"Listen! We don't have time to full around here," Jango said, taking out his hypnotist ring, "They're strong, so we'll have to be stronger. Now, stare into this ring," he said, holding out his ring, "With 'One, two, Jango' you'll become strong. Your injuries will heal an you'll become very very strong.

"What's he doing?" Lucy asked, scratching her cheek.

"Hypnosis," Nami replied, "Making them believe they're strong; how ridiculous!" Lucy stared into it.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Jango!"

Suddenly, the crew began cheering. One punched the cliff, breaking it.

"Th-The cliff was totally destroyed!" Zoro exclaimed, "What power!"

"They're so hypnotized," Nami said.

"That was just one of them; there are so many!" Usopp exclaimed.

They suddenly began charging.

"You two, out of the way!" Zoro yelled, "We'll take care of this!"

"Oi, Lucy," Zoro said. He got no answer, "Lucy?"

"RAAAAAH!" Lucy yelled.

"You're hypnotized, too?" Zoro asked, sweat-dropping.

Lucy charged at them, "RUBBER...MACHINE GUN!" yelled, her punches knocking all of them to the ground.

"Captain Kuro made a huge miscalculation..." Jango whispered to himself, "these aren't ordinary kids..."

"Grrrrrrr..." Lucy growled, chasing them again, the crew struggling to keep away. Lucy ran past them.

"What's she doing?" Zoro asked to himself. Lucy began picking up their ship.

"Go Lucy!" Nami yelled. Zoro just stood there in shock. She broke off the figurehead, and turned her head to the crew, still growling.

"She's gonna whack us with it!"

"With 'One, two, Jango', you'll fall asleep," Jango said, pulling out his ring.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Jango!"

Lucy dropped the figurehead, just missing Jango, and fell asleep under it.

~.~

"What? That caretaker, Kurahadol, headed for the coast?" Pepper exclaimed.

"Yeah. He looked really scary!" Onion answered.

"Is Kaya-san alright?"

"Alright! The Usopp Pirate Crew is off!"

"OI, don't sleep!" Pepper exclaimed to Carrot.

"But it's still sleeping time," Carrot said, rubbing his eyes.

"This isn't the time to sleep!" Onion said, walking up to Carrot, "There might be something horrible happening," Onion said, pulling him up.

~.~

"I still think those pirates are going to attack," Onion said, "Although Captain said he was lying, I don't think he was."

"I think so, too," Pepper agreed.

"Me, too," Carrot joined, "Captain was acting really weird yesterday."

~.~

Kaya woke abruptly from her dream. She put on her slippers and left her room.

"Kurahadol," she said, knocking on his bedroom door, "Kurahadol, are you there?" she opened the door, seeing Merry on the floor, bleeding and unconscious. She knelt down next to him, trying to shake him awake, "What happened, Merry? Wake up! Merry! Don't die!" Merry turned to her.

"Ojou-sama...thank goodness you're alright." He tried to get up, but he just fell on his back.

"Merry, who did this to you?" Kaya asked, horrified.

"Kurahadol...did this to me," Merry said, tears in his eyes, "He...he truly is a pirate!"

"What are you talking about?" Kaya asked, her eyes widened and hand over her mouth.

"He became interested in your family fortune...that's why he got close to you."

"Th...that's just ridiculous...!"

"It's the truth!" Merry interrupted.

"Then...what Usopp-san said yesterday was..."

"Come to think of it," Merry said, "he was the only one who knew of the truth. He risked his life to try and save us. But none of us would believe his words...! We only thought of protecting the bad guy, and made that brave young man, the man who wanted to protect the village and risked his life to warn us...we chased him out of the village!" Merry coughed up blood, "Now's not the time to panic. Nothing has happened yet. It's vital for you to calm down and think of a solution to this...!" Kaya just looked at him. "If his goal is to have everything in this house, then just give it to him! It's not worth protecting with your life."

Kaya wiped away her tears, "Hai."

"The problem at hand is that you're the only one who can stop Kurahadol. Can you do it? Even though this is _not _your responsibility."

"I understand. I won't run away from this. I know the consequences," her eyes hardened, "I'll talk to Kurahadol!"

~.~

"Come on, we have to climb it!" exclaimed Pepper, while the three were trying to climb the gate, "Aren't you worried about Kaya-san?"

Suddenly, the gate opened, revealing a troubled Kaya.

"Something must've happened if she's leaving alone!"

~.~

"Seems like they got wiped out," Nami said.

"Looks like it," Zoro agreed.

"Oi," Usopp said, "We should be more concerned about Lucy being under that thing."

Zoro smirked, "She won't die from just that. You should be worrying about your own injuries.

"That brat screwed us over," Jango said to himself, "Now the plan's _really_ messed up! If Captain Kuro sees this, we'll be killed!"

"Oi, oi, Buchi, look what happened here!" Jango smirked, "Good thing we have our trump card."

"Come out, Nyaban Brothers!" Jango yelled. They both jumped over dramatically.

"You called, Captain Jango?" the gay-lookin' one with green hair said.

"You called?" the fat one with a bell around it said.

"Buchi, Sham, we must get passed this slope; however, as you can see, someone's in the way. Take care of him."

"That's impossible!" "Sham" said.

"Yeah, we just look over the ship, we aren't responsible for battles!" Buchi added.

"Just do it, Sham," Jango said.

"EH? M-Me?"

"Get going!" Jango yelled.

"F-Fine, I'll do it..." Sham said, running up to Zoro in a girly-like fashion, "NYA-YAH-YAH! Hey, you! You better watch out, or I'll rip you up with these very claws!"

"What am I supposed to do with this guy?" Zoro asked, "Teme! Don't get any closer, or I'll kill you!"

"That is if you can kill me," he said with new confidence.

"Nani?"

**_SHINK!_**

Sham's claws and Zoro's sword clashed. _'This bastard...'_

"You took me too lightly," Sham said, jumping back, "You blocked it well, I did a good job of acting, too. I may be tiny but you shouldn't take the Nyanban Brothers lightly."

Zoro noticed the two swords on Sham's back, and noticed his other swords were gone.

"Lost something? Don't think much of it," Sham said.

"Return my katanas to me!" Zoro said, annoyed and angry.

"Return them? Don't you have your katana in your hand?" Sham took the katanas, "these will only get in the way," he said, tossing them to the side. Zoro's blood boiled.

"Now...I feel much lighter," Sham said.

"How dare you throw my precious katanas!" Zoro yelled, charging at Sham, slicing his side. He ran for his katanas. Sham climbed on his back and grabbed his wrists.

"What were you trying to do?" Sham asked, "I am a cat, after all." Once Sham had Zoro pinned, he called out to his brother, "Your turn, Buchi!"

"Right, Sham!" Buchi yelled, about to air-kick him in the head; however, Zoro got out just in time.

"Damn," Sham said, "he got away."

_'You gotta be kidding me,'_ Zoro thought, _'If he had actually hit me with that, all of my bones would've shattered to pieces.__'_

"I'm not familiar with one-sword technique, but..." he readied his sword.

"Cat Claws Attack!" Zoro was able to hold back their attacks; however, the battle was going nowhere.

"This is bad," Nami thought, "Zoro's under heavy pressure!"

Usopp readied his slingshot.

"What're you doing?" Nami asked.

"If the battle goes on like this, it'll go nowhere. I'm covering him! Go... Namaiiboshi!" he said, but instead of hitting of the the Nyaban Brothers, he hit Zoro. Taking it as a chance to hit him, they clawed the middle of his chest.

"Why're you hitting one of us?" Nami asked.

"That's not it," Usopp said, "When he saw it, he moved in front of it."

"Eh? He did it himself?" Nami turned to Zoro.

"Usopp, you idiot! Do you want to die?" Zoro asked, holding his chest.

"Maybe...we were the ones who were saved," Nami said, as she watched Zoro continue to hold them off, "If you had hit them with the pachinko, then they would've probably directed their attacks toward us."

"That guy," Usopp said, "This is no time to be worrying about us!"

_'Damn,' _Zoro thought, _'if only I had one more katana...'_

Nami stood up, "I'm going to get his katanas. If he gets his katanas, he'll surely defeat them!"

"Then I should-"

Nami turned to Usopp, "Don't push yourself. You can't even stand up straight," she said, jumping down. She ran toward the katanas, her wooden pole in her hand; however, right as she placed her hand on the katanas, she was cut in her shoulder by Jango's hypnotist ring.

"Nami!" Usopp yelled.

"What were you planning on doing with those katanas?" Jango asked her. When Jango looked up, he nearly choked on his breath. There stood Captain Kuro, with a very pissed off face.

"Th-There's a good reason for this..." Jango hesitated to say.

Kuro pushed up his glasses, "The sky has been bright for quite a while now. Why didn't you act according to plan?"

"C-Captain Kuro!"

"We're all gonna be killed!"

"This is bad," Usopp whispered.

...

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Kuro yelled.

~.~

**I got this up quickly today, since I worked on it last night, too. I just wish this battle wasn't several episodes long...it sucks :'( I'm thinking of ways I can include my own style into this, but that's probably going to take some time. 'Til the next chapter is up, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**PirateKlair72**_

_**RedRose43**_

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	14. Lucy Back In the Fight!

**Wolfy-tan: Happy Pi Day! Here's chapter fourteen!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 14: Lucy Back In the Fight! Kaya's Desperate Resistance!**_

"To think that these kids are holding you back," Kuro sneered, "Oh how the Black Cats have fallen," he dropped the bag he was holding, "What do you have to say for yourself...JANGO!"

"Uh...well...um..._you _said that by letting the kid go, there'd be no problems," Jango stuttered.

"I did say that," Kuro said, pushing up his glasses, "he's an idiot. I knew no one would believe him and he'd come to try take a stand," Kuro scoffed, "What I didn't take into account was the fact that you're all weak!"

"We're not weak, sir," Jango said, We-"

"Who are you to call us weak?" Sham demanded.

"What did you say, Captain Kuro?" Buchi joined.

"You used to be quite the killer," Sham stated, "But face it Kuro, it's been three years, and we haven't exactly been living the good life working under a rich girl!"

"Yeah! For three years, we've been sinking other pirate ships and massacring villages!" Buchi added.

Kuro simply looked at them, "Good, are you finished."

"NO! You've done nothing this whole time! We've been killing!" Sham yelled.

"Face it, you butler! There's no way you can beat the Nyaban brothers!" They ran past Zoro, charging at Kuro.

"Buchi! Sham! No!" Jango yelled. Kuro grabbed his bag.

"You are not our captain anymore!" Sham yelled.

"Sorry, but we have to kill you!" Buchi exclaimed. When they went for the kill, Kuro vanished. He reappeared behind them.

"Who are you going to kill?" Kuro asked, his blades raised in the air. They got ready to charge again, but Kuro disappeared again.

"You know, you're right," Kuro said, locking Sham and Buchi behind his multiple blades, "I do feel more sluggish, lately."

_'I knew the minute I saw him that he hadn't forgotten how to fight,' _Jango sweated, _'he still has his habit of pushing up his glasses in that weird way so he wouldn't cut them up when he wears those blades. It's as if he never took the weapons off!'_

"You're very lucky. I feel very merciful. Perhaps these years on dry land have made me soft," Kuro said, "I'll give you five minutes to solve the situation. If you can't in five minutes, I'll kill every last one of you," he said, releasing them, "have I made myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, you have, sir! Thank you for being so forgiving!" Jango said, "All we have to do is take out this one guy! That's all! Five minutes will be more than enough time!"

The Nyaban Brothers charged.

"We nearly had him a few minutes ago!" Buchi yelled.

"We won't need one minute to finish him this time!" Sham agreed.

"We're counting on you! Kill him!" Jango yelled.

"ZORO!" Nami yelled, kicking the katanas.

"What the?" Jango exclaimed.

"Hey! You can't just kick them!" Zoro yelled, "Those are my katanas!"

"How about a thank you?" Nami asked. Zoro got serious.

"Yeah, thanks," Zoro said, preparing his three-sword-style.

"You idiot! It doesn't matter how many swords you use!" Sham yelled.

Zoro prepared his attack, "Tiger..." they continued to charge, "You still don't get it," Zoro said, slicing them, "carrying three swords won't help you at all...unless you know three-sword-style."

"Oh no," Jango said as he watched the brothers fall to the ground, "...this is bad."

_'He took down the Nyaban Brothers with one attack!' _Jango thought as he looked at Zoro.

Zoro looked at Kuro, smirking, "Don't worry. This fight will be done in less then five minutes."

Kuro then smirked, "Three minutes left. The one is still alive. You do sloppy work." Zoro turned to Buchi.

"So he is; I guess that blubber protected his vitals." he completely turned around to see a hypnotized Buchi. He dropped the katana in his mouth.

"Kill him, Buchi!" Jango yelled. Nami glared at his back, but she turned her attention to Lucy.

"Really? You're back for more?" Zoro said, lifting the katana he dropped with his foot. _'This guy means business. He was a problem when he was half that size; then Jango had to flip the psycho switch.'_

"Now's my chance to wake Lucy up!" Nami yelled, running toward her.

"What is that girl up to?" Jango asked himself. He threw his hypnotist ring at her.

"Get up, Lucy!" Nami yelled, kicking her back.

"Nami! Look out!" Zoro yelled. Lucy grabbed her foot, dragging her down.

"Damn it, Nami! You can't just step on me-" the ring hit Lucy. Zoro's eyes widened.

"LUCY!"

Lucy looked up, everyone shocked to see she caught it with her mouth. She crushed it in pieces. She felt the small cut it gave her at the edge of her lip.

"WHOEVER DID THAT IS GONNA PAY! ! ! !" Lucy screamed, her voice echoing. She picked up her hat and began walking, the crew making a path for her.

"Times up. You knew the deal. Now you die," Kuro said. He took a closer look at Lucy, "It's that kid. Didn't she fall off that cliff, dying?" he smirked, "Nice trick." Suddenly, he heard a presence behind him, "Don't ever sneak up on me, unless you want to die!" when he fully turned around he saw that he hit Usopp, who tackled Kaya out of the way.

"Usopp! Are you okay? !" Kaya asked him.

"Kaya...what are you doing here?" Usopp asked.

"This is no place for a lady," Kuro said, "Ojou-sama, please leave." Kaya's face twisted in anger, "Stop this, Kurahadol."

She stood up abruptly, "If you want my fortune, you can have it! Just leave the village alone!"

"I will gladly accept your fortune, Ojou-sama," Kuro pushed up his glasses, "But I need more. I need peace. Peace of mind. When I'm done with this mission, I will have peace of mind. I will kill you and take your fortune. This will happen."

"I'm not letting you," Kaya said, taking out a gun, "You aren't Kurahadol. Leave at once!"

Kuro took her gun, "I, who was feared and respected as Captain Kuro, had to bow before some snot-nosed little girl. It went against every fiber of my being," he said, dropping the gun to the ground.

"Damn...you..." Usopp said, picking up the gun, "KURO! ! !" he yelled, shooting it. Kuro disappeared, his blades surrounding Usopp's head.

"If I recall, Usopp, I should get even with you for hitting me," Kuro said.

Suddenly, Lucy's fist shot out, her stretched arm punching Kuro in the face.

"If he hates getting hit so much," Lucy yelled, "He's not going to have a fun day!"

~.~

**Well, this was a short chapter . Oh well, I didn't want to bore you with the details of the battle, since you already know them. I'm itching to get this over with so I can write an idea I have. Anyways, happy National Pi Day! Today is 3-14, like 3.14 in Pi, so it's Pi Day! Our crazy math teachers did an activity today, making us string beads onto pipe cleaners, the colors representing a certain number. We did that for the first 45 digits... . My teachers are crazy. Remember to R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

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	15. Usopp's Courage!

**Wolfy-tan: HELLO GOOD PEOPLE. Here's the fifteenth chapter!**

**Baka* = Idiot**

**Neko* = Cat**

**Katana* = Traditional Japanese Sword**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 15: Usopp's Courage! Lucy VS Kuro!**_

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" the three children yelled, whacking Kuro in the head.

"No, don't!" Usopp yelled.

"Stay away!" Kaya stressed.

"Those Rugrats have a death wish!" Zoro exclaimed.

"You don't know what you're doing!" Usopp yelled, "Stop! STOP!"

"Now those brats have done it! Kuro is going to be so pissed off!"

"Hmph. We'll let you off without brutality...this time," Pepper said. As the kids went to Usopp, Kuro got up. The kids started screaming. Instead of hurting the kids, Kuro kicked Usopp. Kuro then turned to Lucy.

"That's quite the power you have. Tell me, did you eat the Devil Fruit?" Kuro asked.

Lucy smirked, "Yup. I'm a Rubber Girl."

"Jango, I'll take care of the girl. You take care of Ojou-sama as planned. And eliminate the children. They're eyesores."

"I'm on it," Jango said, walking up.

"Stop right there," Zoro said, holding out his sword, "If you want to get there, you have to go through me, first."

"BUCHI!" Jango yelled. Buchi jumped up.

"Not again," Zoro sighed as he dodged before being beat to ashes. Buchi left a cloud of smoke. He used this to his advantage, knocking Zoro to the side, Zoro just holding him off. Jango passed them casually. Usopp watched in horror as Jango walked up to Kaya.

_'Stay away from her...!'_

"USOPP PIRATES!" Usopp yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Yes Captain!" they yelled back.

"I need to listen to you carefully," Usopp said. Carrot clenched his teeth.

"Listen, we're not running away!" he yelled.

"Protect Kaya," Usopp said, "Do as I say...don't argue with me! I'm giving you the most important task right now! Take Kaya, and get out of here! You must keep her safe. We became pirates to protect those important to us! Do as I say and run!"

"Usopp-san..."

"Now go. That is a direct order."

"Yes Captain!" they yelled before taking her into the forest.

_'He sure got a way with words,' _Zoro thought, _'He made running seem brave!'_

"Jango," Kuro said.

"Yes, sorry, I was gawking," Jango said, taking out two hypnotist rings, "Those fools! Did they really think they could escape me-" Jango was cut off when Usopp shot him in the back with pachinko.

"Damn you-!"

"He's not a priority!" Kuro interrupted.

"R-Right!" Jango said, quickly entering the forest.

"There was no point in them running," Kuro said to the Straw Hat Pirates, "We all very well know how weak Kaya is. Jango will catch up to them in no time," he pushed up his glasses, "You may go assist them if you like...if you get off this slope alive!"

_'Damn,' _Usopp thought, _'the situation has turned really bad...! !'_

"Usopp!" Usopp turned to Zoro and Lucy.

"We'll take care of this!" they said in unison.

~.~

"Is the hypnotist still after us? !" Pepper asked.

"I don't see him!" Onion said, "Maybe we lost him!"

"He must be dreaming if he thinks he can catch us in this forest!" Carrot exclaimed, smirking.

"Don't worry, Kaya-san!" Onion yelled, "We'll protect you!"

"Yeah, in the name of the Usopp Pirates!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Yes," Kaya whispered, "thank you."

Suddenly the group was caught off guard when they saw trees being cut down around them.

"BRATS! ! ! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING? ! ? !" they heard Jango scream from a distance, "DON'T THINK YOU'LL ESCAPE! ! !"

~.~

"What was that noise?" Usopp asked.

"That was probably just Jango losing his temper," Kuro responded, "You can see for yourself, but you'll probably be too late."

"We better hurry," Zoro said.

"Can you?" Kuro asked.

"Damn it..." Usopp said, "You two have spent three years together! Don't you have any feelings for her? !" Usopp yelled.

"No. She was just a pawn to my plan," Kuro said, "In fact, when she dies, I might actually thank her."

When. He said when, not if. This meant he had no doubt in his mind that she was to be assassinated.

"He's beyond saving..." Zoro muttered.

"Who said I was going to save him? !" Lucy asked.

"I won't let you do whatever you please!" Usopp yelled, charging. _'I must go and save them! Otherwise, they'll all be killed! There's not a second to lose...'_

"Oh, so you can still move?" Kuro asked, "Impressive. Buchi!"

Buchi came up, ready to attack Usopp; however, Zoro sliced him with his katanas*.

"Don't get away. We're in a hurry," Zoro looked down at Buchi, "You've messed with us enough already. I won't kill you-as long as you stay down silently!"

Suddenly, Usopp slumped down, "Damn it, I can't move anymore."

Kuro began laughing hysterically, "You're a joke! It's probably safer for you to stay there, anyways. Even if you were to catch up with Jango, you'd be no match in your state.

"I...don't care...I will protect them! I have to protect them!" Usopp yelled as tears rolled down his eyes. Kuro gave him a curious look. Zoro was surprised by his words. Lucy nodded, indicating that she knew exactly how he feels.

However, as everyone was caught up in this moment, Buchi knocked Zoro, who had been sitting on top of him, knocked Zoro off of him, Zoro hitting the cliff-side.

"I won't let you hurt the villagers!" Usopp yelled, still in his odd slumped position. The crew of the Black Cat Pirates began laughing at him.

Lucy gave them a death glare, "If you dare to laugh at Usopp with your filthy mouths, I'll kill you all!" The crew immediately stopped, crying from fear.

Meanwhile, Zoro was holding Buchi back with his swords, "Oi, Baka* Neko*, I thought I already warned you...to not get in my way!"

He stabbed Buchi in the chest, "OUTTA THE WAY!"

He neatly put his katanas back to his waist, "Lucy, I'm taking Usopp and going after that bastard hypnotist! Any problem with that?"

"No, go quickly!" Lucy yelled as she watched Zoro slump Usopp over his shoulder and ran.

"And who said you could go through me?" Kuro asked, his swords perched up.

"Me!" Lucy yelled, aiming a punch at Kuro, yet missing, "Go! Zoro! Usopp!" as they ran, she aimed for another punch, "Another one!" she yelled, her left arm springing to life as it went flying at Kuro.

"He disappeared?" Lucy scratched her head in confusion until she felt a presence behind her, narrowly missing Kuro's attack.

"Rubber...Spear!" she yelled, her feet clamped together and rushing toward Kuro, "Damn...he disappeared again." As Kuro reappeared, Lucy crossed her arms in frustration, "It doesn't matter now, anyway. They've already gone up the slope."

"Before we begin our fight, I'd like to know," Kuro said, "You're a stranger here, so why get involved with this village?"

"..." Lucy smirked, "I have a friend in this village that I don't want to get killed!" Lucy responded.

Kuro chuckled, "What a small reason. Are you okay with that? After all, if you die here, it'll be your reason for dying..."

"That's alright!" Lucy said, holding her arm, "I'm not going to die here, anyways!"

"Die!" Kuro said, charging.

Lucy merely pouted, "No!" she yelled, grabbing his arms. She was about to kick him when he shook her arms, causing her to fall back.

"Rubber...Leg Sweeper!" Lucy yelled, whipping her leg around, Kuro barely being able to jump over it, "And...Pistol!" her arm stretched up. _'Eh?'_ She looked to see Kuro had jumped onto her arm.

"This is beginning to bore me," Kuro taunted, "I think I may fall asleep."

"You bastard!" Lucy yelled, Kuro walking up her arm, kicking her right in the face, sending her flying.

"You made me bleed..." she muttered to herself, a big mark on her face that was bleeding. The Black Cat Pirates began chanting "Captain Kuro".

"DON'T CALL ME BY THAT NAME!" Kuro yelled. Lucy looked up in surprise as she wiped off her blood.

"You still don't understand? The purpose of this plan was to wipe out the name 'Captain Kuro' completely! As my name became more famous, more and more bounty hunters came after me. That was the day I decided to 'die'. What happened that day has been essential for today's plan to happen. Once I have money and peace, this plan will be complete," Kuro looked to Lucy, "Do you understand now, little girl? I've spent three years on this plan; it cannot fail," he charged at Lucy, "I won't let you disrupt today!"

Lucy heaved up large stone that broke off from various attacks and used it to shield his claws.

"I see," Kuro said, "So you can do more then just stretch."

"Yup," Lucy replied, "I've been training for ten years to become a pirate!" she yelled as she threw the stone, Kuro's claws being shattered.

"If you give up your pirate name so easily," Lucy said, throwing Kuro onto the ground really hard, "then how can you be a pirate? !" she smirked, "my ambitions are far greater then your 'plans'!" she made a 'humph', "Now you only have five claws left." The crew began saying random shit.

"Shut up, you fools!" Kuro said, "After this is done, I'm killing you all...! Jango is no exception!"

They all started shouting and asking why they had to die.

"I never intended on letting you live alive," Kuro said, "My name would still be living on, and I don't intend on that happening..."

"You mean...from the very beginning...you intended on killing us? !" one shouted.

"Yes. From three years ago, I carefully planned this..." Kuro responded.

"Those are some stupid pirates," Lucy said.

"In a pirate fleet, there are pawns, in which the captain chooses if they live or die," Kuro said, "Even if there was a wall ahead, if I said so, you'd have to charge at it! That is the way of the pirate! A young girl such as you could never understand that!"

"Even if you have so many men and clever plans..." Lucy taunted, "You'll never be able to defeat Usopp!"

Kuro began laughing hysterically, "And in what way am I inferior to him?" he asked, disappearing, reappearing behind them.

"In the way you think," Lucy responded, grinning.

_'Huh?'_ Kuro thought.

"You don't know what a true pirate is!" Lucy yelled, punching him in the face.

Kuro quietly got up, "You want to know what a true pirate is supposed to be? Fine. I'll show you the terror of a real pirate!"

~.~

**I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED IN ALL DAY! However, I has an announcement to make. I've decided that instead of the anime, I'm switching to manga. I'm also going to do minor changes to the other chapters, but nothing so drastic that you'd have to reread them. I thought Luffy was 16 in One Piece; however, I've learned their true ages. That's one of the changes I'm making; again, it's nothing drastic. These are the final ages for all the characters in the story so far:**

**Lucy: 17**

**Zoro: 19**

**Nami: 18**

**Usopp: 17**

**Anyways, I'm also not going to be posting as often, since I want to be able to read more of One Piece. This may take a while, since there are over 600 chapters...but stick with me! I won't abandon this story; in fact, I'm reading the manga _for_ this story! Don't abandon me...R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_****"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love."_

_-Morihei Ueshiba_


	16. Usopp's Story Wrapped Up!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello, Viewers! Here's chapter sixteen!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 16: Usopp's Story Wrapped Up! Zoro's Feelings Begin To Bloom!_**

"That stance is...!"

"Don't tell me he's using _that_ technique!"

"Against one person!"

"I'm pretty sure that's it...!"

"He's using _Bamboo Ladle!_"

"What're they talking about?" Lucy asked, "All he's doing is swaying..."

. . .

"GAH!" one of the crew members screamed as they were sliced by air. Suddenly, a large group of the crew members were being slashed, and even the rocks were being randomly sliced.

"What's happening? ! !" Lucy exclaimed, slightly overwhelmed, "Even the rocks are being hit...!" The crew members began begging for mercy. _'It's massacre...'_ Lucy thought. Watching more and more of it, she began to be less overwhelmed and more pissed off by the second, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO YOUR CREW! ! ! ?"

. . .

Lucy gasped as she was sliced, also. She predicted Kuro's next move, and grabbed him, smashing him to the ground.

"Tch," Kuro whispered, "You should've just let me quietly chop you to pieces... do you have anything to say?"

"Yeah," Lucy said, "I'll never become a pirate like you."

"You'll never become one when I kill you," Kuro taunted, "Not like you could become one, anyways. Despite your strength, you're still just a girl. Eventually, you're strength would just fade."

Lucy smirked, "You can say all the sexist comments you want, but I'll prove to the world that a girl can be on top when I become the Pirate Queen!"

Kuro laughed, "Oh, really? Didn't I say I was going to kill you? Besides, you're just at a phase of strength. Like I said, it'll fade."

"Believe whatever you want," Lucy said, getting annoyed, "But I'm going to beat you here!" she locked Kuro into place, sticking her tongue out at him when he realized he couldn't escape, "Rubber...Bell!" she yelled, hitting him on his chest with her head extremely hard. When she was done, she threw him to the ground, leaving him unconscious.

"She really beat him!"

"Who the hell are you? !"

Lucy turned to them and smirked, "I am Monkey D. Lucy! You better remember it, because I'm the girl who'll become the Pirate Queen!" While they gave shocked expressions, Lucy picked Kuro up by the collar and hurled him to the crew, "You can take your luggage back!" they all immediately ran away, lugging Kuro with them.

Lucy sighed, falling to her knees from fatigue. She was suddenly picked up bridal style.

"Zoro..."

To Zoro, saying Lucy was lighter than a feather was no exaggeration. You'd think she'd be at least _a little_ heavier considering how much she eats. When Zoro set her down, her eyes averted to where he had been cut by the Nyaban Brothers. Zoro noticed her stare and placed his hand on her head.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," he pulled her closer to him. He admitted, he sort of liked it. She made him forget his worries about everything by just being with him. They stayed like that for a while until Nami and Usopp returned.

~.~

"Thank you!" Usopp yelled, "If you guys weren't here, the village couldn't have been protected."

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, Lucy still by his side, "If you didn't do anything, I wouldn't of, either."

"Same," Lucy agreed.

"Doesn't matter, I got my treasure back," Nami said, hugging her treasure.

"After today's battle, I have come up with a decision," Usopp stated.

~.~

"Well we finished our meal," Zoro said, "Let's get going." After talking with Usopp, they came to the bar they went into before, deciding to get a meal before departing.

"So this was where you guys were..." the trio turned to see Kaya standing at the doorway.

"Sup, Ojou-sama?" Lucy greeted, waving. Kaya walked toward them.

"Don't you need to stay in bed?" Nami asked.

"No, I've been sick for a year from losing my parents," Kaya started, "Usopp-san has inspired me to try to get better. Anyways, I heard you needed a ship!"

"A ship!" Lucy yelled gleefully, "Are you giving us one?" Kaya nodded, waving at them to signal to follow her. Once they reached shore, they stared in awe.

"Wow!" Lucy awed.

"A Caravel!" Nami exclaimed.

"I've been waiting for you," Meri said, "It's an old style, but I made it myself. 'It's called the Going Meri'!" he turned to Lucy, "So you're the one who defeated Kuro! I imagined you being a tad older..."

"We can really have this?" Lucy asked Kaya.

"I insist!" she replied. Meri turned to Nami to explain the controls of the ship.

"I've loaded all the provisions you'll need on the ship," Kaya told Lucy.

"Thank you so much!" Lucy said.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" they all turned and sweat-dropped when they saw Usopp rolling down the hill.

"Usopp-san?" Kaya asked.

"STOP ME PLEASE!" he yelled. Lucy and Zoro both lifted their leg, their feet stomping on Usopp's face, however stopping him from tumbling down the hill.

"Th-Thank you..." Usopp whispered.

"No problem," the captain and first-mate replied in unison.

~.~

"So you're going off to the seas..." Kaya said, concluding what he said.

"Yeah, I need to go before I change my mind," Usopp said, "Please don't stop me."

"I won't," Kaya said, "I figured you might do this."

"It saddens me to leave this village, though," Usopp said. He turned to the Straw Hat Pirates, who had already boarded their new Caravel, "Well, safe voyage, you guys! I hope to see you again sometime!"

"What're you talking about?" Lucy asked, sitting on the rail next to Zoro.

"What a cold-hearted girl," Usopp muttered, "We're both pirates, so I hope we'll meet each other again at the seas."

"What are you blabbering about?" Zoro asked, "Get on the ship, already." Usopp gave them a confused look.

"Aren't you already our friend?" Lucy asked. It took a minute for it to sink into Usopp's brain.

"I'm the captain, right!" Usopp said, jumping into the air.

"You idiot, Usopp! _I'm_ the captain!" Lucy yelled, pissed. Zoro merely laughed, ruffling Lucy's hair. Lucy crossed her arms, pouting in a child-like fashion, holding her straw hat tight.

~.~

**Hello, readers! Well, Usopp's story is done, next is Sanji! He'll come soon, but next chapter there will also be a large ZoroXLucy moment, but you'll have to wait until I get it posted! :3 Anyway, this was really short compared to other chapters, but they'll get longer. Until next time, R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Tachi Tsuki un**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_"Friends are born, not made."_

_-Henry B. Adams_


	17. The Dreams!

**Wolfy-tan: I AM SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! *hides behind Lucy*. My computer was acting like a b*tch, so I couldn't update. :'[ Anyway, please enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece...**

_**Chapter 17: The Dreams!**_

Lucy sighed as she watched the stars. She just couldn't sleep. The dreams were haunting her like never before. The dreams of _that. _Oh Lord, anything but _THAT. _She watched her hand. It was shaking. A lot. Just thinking about it made her head ache and sweat slowly trickle down her face. Her knees started feeling like jelly, and she fell to the floor, her bangs covering her face.

"Lucy?" she jumped at the sound of Zoro's drowsy voice.

"Z-Zoro?" Her voice was shaky, unsure of what was happening. When she looked back and saw it was Zoro. She released a breath she had not known she was holding. For a second she mistook Zoro's voice for _his. _Zoro's face rushed next to her when he saw the startled look on her face. Lucy was surprised by his action. He was usually lazy, not one to rush when not in battle.

"Lucy," Zoro looked straight into her eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

Lucy grinned...except, it wasn't one of her regular grins. It was strained.

"I'm fine! I just had a bad dream, so I came up here to relax a bit."

Zoro's eyes darted at hers, "I'm not buying that bullshit, Lucy. I saw you shaking. Your eyes looked as if they just saw hell."

Lucy's eyes became extremely interested in the flooring, "I-I'm fine-"

"Lucy!" Zoro said sternly. He didn't want to raise his voice at her like that, but Lucy was acting like a child. She could at least tell him what was on her mind.

"Can we talk about this in the morning?" She whispered. She stood up and nuzzled into his chest. He, like always, blushed at the contact. However, he realized just how bothered she had to be- seriously, Lucy was startled. Lucy was _never_ startled! He responded by wrapping his arms around her. He could feel her shudder- which he turned curious about, but he decided it was best to not press it, and put his lips to her ear, silently shushing her. They stood there like that, until Zoro looked down at her. Not surprisingly, she had fallen asleep. Her face was flushed, and she had a strained look on her face. She silently muttered in her sleep, but Zoro couldn't make out what she was saying.

_"I just had a bad dream, so I came up here to relax a bit."_

Zoro looked down at her, and picked her up bridal style, sighing. _'More like a hellish nightmare' _he thought. He carried her to the girls' quarters and gently set her down. He looked down at her and sighed again as he brushed her bangs out of her face.

He didn't understand it. He always felt...what's the word..._weird_ around her. No, weird wasn't the word...the word _warm _describes the feeling better. His mind rattled as a sudden thought crept into his mind- he...he couldn't have a...a _CRUSH_ on her, could he? No, no, that's impossible. He couldn't possibly be falling for his she-captain who was so happy-go-lucky and had such a curvy body..._  
><em>

He slapped himself mentally. He shouldn't be having these thoughts about her. She was his _captain_ for goodness sake-

He froze as he looked at Lucy. He swore he just saw something on her forehead. He figured it was just him being paranoid, that he was afraid that she would wake and see him in her and Nami's room. He completely stopped when he saw it appear on her forehead again. He grew startled as he studied it. There were tiny ancient writings written, with a picture of an eye centering the letters. Vine-like lines connected to the eye wrapped around the letters at the ends, giving some sense of scenery to the photo. It glowed faintly and then disappeared again. He slowly exited the girls' quarters, making his way to the boys' quarters. He fell onto his bed and tried to fall asleep, but his eyes stayed awake out of curiosity of what he just witnessed.

~.~

_Lucy woke up to see she was an abandoned warehouse. She looked over to her mom._

_"Kaa-chan!"_

_"Lu...cy..." she said. She coughed up blood helplessly._

The dream sped forwards, as Lucy witnessed everything all over again.

_'Someone! Please! HELP!' she thought helplessly as she was thrown into an abandoned warehouse on the side of the island opposite of the village. Lucy squirmed; the bruises all over her body ached, and her cuts bled. She could feel the dark loom over her. Her last sights were them smirking and using Phelemor on her; she screamed-only for her voice to be muffled- at the pain. Before the darkness overtook her, she looked at her wrists and ankles that now had new markings on them._

_"Sleep well, Lucy..." she heard him say._

_'How could you...Atsuke...!'_

_~.~_

Lucy bolted up with sweat pouring down her face. Her eyes were widened. Her sights were first blurry, but then she saw Nami and Usopp with worried faces, and Zoro with a neutral face but his eyes were filled with worry and disarray. When Nami and Usopp saw Lucy awake, they hugged her with joy. Zoro let out a breathe, then looked at me with relief.

"W-What's going on?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"You were rocking around in your sleep, and every time I'd try to wake you up, you muttered, 'don't touch me, Atsuke'," Nami responded. Lucy, remembering her dream, looked down, her face flushed and arms clutching around her knees. She buried her face in her arms.

"Leave me alone," Lucy managed to mutter. She heard a sigh, and she felt herself being lifted and being placed into someone's lap. She didn't bother to look up; instead she buried her face in their chest.

"Please leave," Zoro said. Nami and Usopp stared at him for a second but got the picture and left. Once they left, Zoro lifted Lucy's chin so she'd be forced to look into his eyes.

"Last night..." Zoro started. "I saw...a weird marking on your forehead. Could you explain what it was?" he said, his eyes full of sternness. Lucy tried looking down, but Zoro forced her to look at him. She was silent for a few minutes, but his eyes only got more and more stern. She eventually gave up.

Lucy sighed, "Phelemeon."

Zoro gave a confused look, "Huh?"

"Phelemeon," Lucy repeated, "It's physic power I inherited from my mother."

"PHYSIC?" They heard Nami and Usopp yell as they rampaged through the door. Zoro sweat-dropped and Lucy blinked at them.

"Yeah," Lucy responded, "Physic-ism has been running through my mother's side of the family for centuries, though I don't know how to control it, so..." she looked down, "...my power possesses me, conscious or unconscious. One week before I departed from my hometown...The Dreams...they've been showing the horrible sides of my experiences, and each night, I relive them," she started shaking, "and they..." her voice grew smaller, "they scare me."

Everyone was in shock. Something actually _scared_ Lucy? LUCY?

"The Dreams..." Lucy's eyes widened, "The... _The Dreams..."_ Lucy could feel herself trembling. She started hyperventilating. She felt light-headed, chills running down her spine, and she felt as if she was gonna puke. She could feel pain in her chest slowly growing. "The Dreams...!"

"Lucy?" Usopp asked nervously.

"Lucy!" Zoro exclaimed.

"This is bad! She's having a panic attack!" Nami fretted. "Hold her down!"

"The Dreams!" she screamed, she began flailing as Zoro, Usopp, and Nami all attempted to hold her down. "Let go of me! LET GO OF ME!"

"Lucy, listen to me," Nami said, "They're just dreams. They won't do anything to you!"

"What do you know?" Lucy retorted. "The Dreams DID happen! I have to relive them every night!"

"Lucy!" Nami yelled. "Even if it did happen once, the dreams aren't real! I don't know what you went through, but we just want you to be your normal self again! So please calm down!"

Lucy began to calm down, biting her lip so her tears wouldn't fall. Lucy was afraid to cry. It was her weakness.

"I'm sorry..." she said. "I'd like to be alone." Once everyone reluctantly left, Lucy sat on her bed, pondering.

_'I wonder...if I ever see Eraquor again, if she'll help me?'_

**Again, I am SO sorry I haven't updated. Stupid computer problems. D:{ Anyway, sorry for the cliffy, I just wanted to get this updated as fast as possible. I am sorry if I angered you because of this hiatus due to internet connection problems...so...yeah. Even now internet is being really slow and I'm getting EXTREMELY annoyed at it. -.-' Honestly, do you know how many times I had to keep exiting the internet because it kept not responding? I lost count. Also, I got so many reviews! I feel so loved :3 THANK YOU :'D. Please R&R, and I'll see you next chapter as we get more in depth with the story! Peace off viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Analyn Rockwand_  
><strong>

**_anonymous fan_**

**_supersaiyan3goku_**

**_9tailedokami16x_**

**_RedRose43_**

**_Spygal_**

**_zor k_**

**_Shadowhunterbloodyfist_**

**_keh_**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**_DroopingRose-Fall_**

_"I know a secret, and secrets breed paranoia"_**  
><strong>

_- Simon Holt, The Devouring_


	18. In Comes Sanji, the Major Flirt!

**Wolfy-tan: It feels so long since this story has been set back into routine, hasn't it? Again, I'm sorry it took so long to update the last chapter, internet refused to connect for weeks, and even after the internet started connecting again, it was acting extremely slow and frequently not responding. Again, I'm sorry. Also, in case you didn't take notice last chapter, I created two OCs, and I'm creating one more.**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I pray, One Piece will never be mine. :[**

_**Chapter 18: In Comes Sanji, the Awesome Chef and Major Flirt!**_

The cloaked woman looked around before continuing to tread. She was being followed-by none other than _him__._ She cursed under her breathe before confirming she was safe where she currently was.

_'I must meet up with Lucy before it's too late-I must seek Ace's and Eracire's help.'_ She could feel herself tiring before stopping to rest at an abandoned house.

_'Lucy...I pray that you will not meet him again, after all that he's done to us, especially you. Ace, Eracire and I will do whatever it takes to keep you from him. And even if it's out of our hands, the least Eracire and I can do is train you in Phelemeon. I'm coming, Lucy, no matter what it takes!' _She thought as the blackness washed over her.

~.~

Lucy yawned as she got out of bed. She felt immediately downed as she remembered the events of yesterday.

"Well, that's in the past now," she said to herself as she walked out. "Though, it's best not to tell them the full story of my powers yet."

~.~

Lucy yawned as she rose from her bed. She felt immediately downed when she recalled yesterday's earlier events.

"Well, that's in the past now...though it's best to refrain from telling them everything just yet."

~.~

Nami gave a frustrated face as she watched the waves. She could hear Usopp practicing the cannon's aiming from the canon shots. Zoro walked up behind her.

"What's with your face?" he said, referring to the odd but funny way it looked.

Nami glared at him before responding, "I was just thinking. Ever since the incident yesterday, I've been noticing some weird things."

Zoro raised a brow, "Like what?"

"Well, for one," Nami started. "Haven't you found it weird that she's always wearing those bandages around her wrists and ankles?"

"Just about as weird as I find it that she always wears that straw hat."

Nami pouted, "That's not the same. The hat has sentimental value to her-I don't think that bandages would have sentimental value."

Zoro glared, "If you're so nervous, then why not ask her?"

Nami hesitated before answering, "After yesterday..."

Zoro scoffed, "If you don't even have the courage to ask her about it, then don't pour it onto me, okay?"

Nami glared, but only nodded and continued watching the waves.

"Come out you damn pirates!" a random man said, appearing out of nowhere. Lucy just then came up to the deck.

"Who're you?" she asked.

"Are you the nameless pirate who's trying to kill my partner?" he asked as he swung his sword, Lucy dodging it with ease. Zoro became pissed, and hit him with the back of his katana, the strange man falling to the ground. He fell unconscious. Zoro stooped over him to have a good look. His eyes widened, "Someone, get a bucket of water!"

~.~

The strange man woke up from the feeling of cool water being splashed on his face. Hovering over him was Lucy, and as he took in her features, he blushed. _'What a pretty girl... I wonder if she'd be interested in me?'_

"Johnny?" Zoro asked.

Johnny whipped his head around to see Zoro, "B-Big Bro Zoro? Why're you on a pirate ship?"

"Is there something wrong?" Zoro asked, "How come Yosaku isn't with you?"

Johnny froze, "W-Well...Yosaku is..."

~.~

"He's sick?" Zoro asked.

"He was full of life a few days ago, but now he keeps getting pale and fainting!" Johnny exclaimed, looking over his partner. "In the end, his teeth fell out and his old wound opened up and started bleeding. We were on a rocky island letting him rest quietly, but then a canon shot at us from your ship!"

Usopp stiffened, "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry just won't cut it," Johnny said shakily, Usopp stiffening. "Isn't that right, partner? Big Bro, is Yosaku gonna die?" Zoro just stood speechless.

"Are you all stupid?" Nami said, walking over to inspect Yosaku.

"What'd you say?" Zoro said, pissed.

Nami pulled at Yosaku's tongue.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing? If you mock my partner's death, I'll-"

"Lucy, Usopp, there are limes in the storage. Get them and squeeze them into Yosaku's mouth. Now." With that, Lucy and Usopp ran to get the limes. Once they were back and squeezing them in his mouth, Nami explained that he had scurvy and should be fine in a couple of days. Yosaku, having regained concsiousness, got up and he and Johnny danced around.

"There's no way you can recover that fast!" Nami yelled. They suddenly stopped dancing and looked straight at the Mugiwaras with straight faces.

"Sorry we did not properly introduce ourselves," the duo said in unison.

"I'm Johnny," Johnny said.

"I'm Yosaku," Yosaku said.

"And we are a duo of bounty hunters," they again said in unison.

"Big Bro Zoro used to be our colleague," Johnny explained. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Honestly, of all places, I didn't think we'd see eachother here," Zoro said.

"Well, we'd never think that you, as a pirate hunter, would become a pirate," Yosaku said.

"Of course, if it was so you could catch those girls over there, then I understand," Johnny whispered in his ear, snickering. Zoro turned as red as a beet.

"N-N-No! You've got it all wrong-"

"Come on, don't play modest with me. You plan on dating one of them, don't you? Tell me which one; I'll gladly take the other."

_'Lucy'_ Zoro thought immediately. Realizing what just popped in his mind, he thought, _'No, no! She's my captain, I shouldn't-'_

"It's the girl with the straw hat, isn't it?" he said. "Don't worry, I won't flirt with her. I won't tell the others, either."

~.~

"This should be a lesson to you all," Nami said, referring to Yosaku who had fallen again due to lack of nutrition. "We need to divide the nutrition equally, but still make sure everyone has enough. When you think about it, it's a necessary ability."

"Necessary ability..." Lucy muttered. "...That's it!" she yelled, standing up. Everyone jumped slightly at her random outbirst. "We need to recruit a cook!"

"That's right!" Usopp joined in. "That way we can have good meals even while sailing the ship!"

"If a cook's what you need, I know the perfect place," Johnny said, smirking. Zoro raised a brow at him.

"Where? Where is it?" Lucy asked excitedly.

"However, this place is extremely close to the Grand Line," Johnny said, walking up to Zoro. "And there, rumors are flying around about where to find a certain hawk-eyed man." Johnny finished. Zoro smirked.

"We need to head north-northeast!" he exclaimed. All of them smirked.

~.~

As they set their course toward the place Johnny had said to head to, Lucy was telling Usopp how she wanted the pirate flag to look like, and watched with anticipation as Usopp painted the flag. Once he was done with painting the flag and sail, they heard Johnny shout.

"We're here!" he yelled, "the sea resturant, Baratie!" Everyone, excluding Zoro, looked at it with wonder.

"Whatchya think, everyone?" Johnny asked.

"This is awesome! Oh, thank you, Johnny!" Lucy said, hugging Johnny. Johnny simply blushed at the contact. Zoro glared at him. Noticing the glare, Johnny decided it was best to get her off, despite just how much he like the teen hugging him.

"N-No problem..." he said, and Lucy finally unlatched from him and went to Zoro, grinning widely.

"Isn't this great?" Lucy asked. Before Zoro got the chance to answer, they heard another ship coming in next to them.

"Shit!" Johnny cursed. "At a place like this...why a Navy ship of all times?"

"T-They aren't gonna shoot at us, are they?" Usopp asked anxiously.

"What an unpleasant bunch to run into..." Zoro muttered.

"When did they...?" Nami didn't bother to finish her sentence. Johnny hid behind the door Yosaku was hiding.

"Never seen that flag before..." a man from the Navy ship said. "I'm Iron Fist Fullbody, Lieutenant at Navy Headquarters! Who is your captain? Come out and say your name!" Usopp hid behind Zoro, who hit him in the head. Lucy stepped forward.

"Monkey D. Lucy!"

Fullbody stared at them, "They're an eyesore. Sink 'em."

"We're in trouble! They're aimin' at us!" Usopp exclaimed. The canon fired, luckily, Lucy blocked it with her elastic powers, however...heh heh...well...eh...

~.~

"We brought her," the chefs said as they dragged Lucy into Owner Zeff's room. "She's the one responsible."

She bowed to him, "I-I-I'm s-so sorry!" She gasped when she saw his pegged leg. She began freaking out.

"Calm down! It wasn't the canon ball that did this," he yelled. She calmed down, a little bit. Key words: a-little-bit. "But you gave me bruises all over my body. The medical fees and repair charges for the ship will cost you a lot."

"I won't ask you to reduce the charges; however, I have no money!" she stated proudly.

"What a proud way to say it," he said. "But since you have no money, you're just going to have to work here. Since you're a lady, I'll go easy on you for time. You'll have to work here for no pay for a...year!"

"Okay, wait..." Lucy's eyes widened anime-like. "A-A year? You mean like..a...a...a YEAR?" She held up her pointer finger.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Zeff asked.

"I ask for you to please reduce it to one week," she said. He shook his head.

"Two weeks!" she said, holding up her pointer and middle finger.

"Oi! You attacked the Baratie and seriously injured the Head Chef, me. You can't settle such costs with a mere one or two weeks.

"Three weeks!" she exclaimed holding up her pointer, middle, and ring finger.

"Quit talking in such a proud manor!" he yelled.

"I can't work for so long!" she exclaimed. "I've been patiently waiting for ten years to become a pirate. I'm not going to throw away another year working here! I'll get you to let me off the hook in one week, I've decided."

"Oh? If you want to save your time so much, I'll tell you what to do to settle this quickly," Zeff said. He took out a knife, "Leave one of your legs here."

Lucy pouted, "No!"

"Don't think you can survive in this world if you just keep repeating 'no', little girl," Zeff said.

"No!" Lucy repeated.

"Tch," Zeff muttered. "Such pride." He walked over to Lucy, "Go get a uniform. The women waitress uniforms are to the left of this hall. Then go through the third door to your right. You're working here whether you want to or not. Once you're done, meet me downstairs." With that said, Zeff left. Lucy glared at the door child-like but got up and followed his instructions. She inspected the uniforms. She picked the champagne-red waitress dress that ended just above her knees with a white shirt underneath it that had a collar with a black bow tied neatly. She wore white knee-high stockings and black flats and a white flower hair ornament that held up her hair. She hated how girl she looked, but, hey, it was better than the _pastel pink_ dresses. Lucy shivered at the thought. She gently placed her straw hat in the room, knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to wear it. She sighed as she left the room and walked downstairs. She blinked, thinking that she might be interrupting something.

"I'll say it only one more time, so listen good. Give. Me. Food," the first odd man said.

"Um, sir, I'm terribly sorry, but do you have money for that?" the second odd man said. The first odd man put a gun to the second's head.

"Will a bullet do?" the first one asked.

"So, you don't have money, right?" the second asked. He slammed his fists on the first's head, the customers and chefs cheering.

"Patty, the damn brat," Zeff said. "He broke the chair."

"If you can't pay for it, you're not a customer," Patty said. The first man's stomach growled. "Oh, are you hungry, damn pirate?"

The man smirked at him, "That was a fart, shithead. Just bring me food."

"If you're not a customer, beat it already!" Patty yelled. As the people cheered, Lucy noticed a blonde in a nice suit going into what seemed the kitchen. She shot a questioning glance at his back.

"Now, dumb customers, go back to your meals," Patty said, grinning. He took the man and threw him outside of the restaurant. Lucy saw the man exit the kitchen and go to where the man was thrown out. She followed. She saw the blonde put food in front of the man.

"Eat it," the blonde said, sitting down.

"Shut up, leave!" the man said. "Even when I'm down and out, I refuse to accept charity from others. Take this food away!" . . .

"Shut up and eat it already," the blonde said. "To me, anyone who's hungry is a customer.". . .

"Well, I'm not a customer."

"I can understand how harsh it is to go hungry at sea better than anyone." The blonde looked at the man, "You can die for your pride if you want, but if you eat and survive, don't you think there's a future for you?" The man, realizing this, looked at the blonde in awe and ate the food, if somewhat barbaric, but happily nonetheless.

"I'm sorry...thank you...I thought I was going to die!" he cried as he ate. The blonde simply sat there. "It's...very...delicious! I've never eaten food this delicious!"

The blonde grinned, "Damn straight, it is!" Lucy watched the scene unfold before her. She grinned. _'What a good cook I've found!'_

At this time, she revealed herself from behind the door. Hearts immediately went into the blonde's eyes.

"You're a good cook. Would you join my crew?" Lucy asked, walking out. They both stared at her. "Would you be my cook for my pirate crew?"

"My, my, what a pretty lady you are!" he exclaimed. "Though I cannot join your crew, I will happily let you enjoy your time here! My name is Sanji, may I please know your name?"

"I'm Lucy, nice to meet you."

"Oh! Lucy means 'light'! Such a beautiful name," he said, kneeling.

"Would you pleeaase join me to sea?" Sanji's heart burst. The strange man, who had been watching the whole scene, sweat-dropped.

"Oh! What a cute uniform! It compliments you extremely well!" he said, inspecting her curves and *ahem*. He got a nose bleed.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

_'So cute!'_ he thought. "I-I'm fine Lucy-chan!"

~.~

"So you're a pirate, huh?" he asked. She nodded.

"So, why did you shoot a canon ball at the restaurant?" he asked.

"That was an accident! A self-defense stray shot," Lucy answered.

"Well, I must ask you respectfully, Lucy-chan, please try not to harm the restaurant. The owner of this place used to be a cook in a famous pirate group."

"I see," Lucy said. "So the old man used to be a pirate..."

"To the old man, this restaurant is his treasure. On top of that, all the cooks came here out of admiration toward him, but are complete hot-heads just like pirates. But, they're perfect for this place considering pirates come and go."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "This place sure seems to get a lot of fun."

"Yup," Sanji confirmed. "It's like that everyday. There are customers who just come here to see the cooks and pirates fight each other. Thanks to that, all the waiters and waitresses hightailed outta here."

"So that's why the old man wanted me to work here for a year," Lucy concluded.

"I would gladly love it if you were to work here for a year, Lucy-chan," Sanji added.

"Hey, join our crew."

"Despite how much admiration I have toward you, Lucy-chan, I must refuse. There's a reason I work at this restaurant."

"No!" Lucy exclaimed. "I refuse your refusal! You're an excellent cook, Sanji, so let's be pirates together.

_'Lucy-chwan!'_ Sanji thought with hearts in his eyes.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the other man said. "I'm Ghin of the Krieg Pirates. You, young lady, are also a pirate, correct? Do you have any goals?"

Lucy grinned, "I'm planning on heading to the Grand Line in search of the One Piece."

Ghin looked at her as if she was crazy, "Given that you're looking for a cook, you must only have a few members."

Lucy nodded, "He's the fifth member."

"Why are you counting me?" Sanji asked. His question was ignored.

"Since you seem like a sweet girl, I'll give you a warning. The Grand Line is a place you must avoid at all cost. You're still young; you have no reason to rush. The Grand Line is only a small part of the entire ocean. If you want to be a pirate, there's a whole ocean out there to explore."

"I see," Lucy said. "So you know something about the Grand Line?"

"No, I don't know anything about the Grand Line...I don't _understand_ anything about it...that's exactly why I fear it..."

"You're an underling of Krieg, and yet you talk so wimpy..." Sanji said.

~.~

Ghin stepped into the small boat, "Well, I'm off."

"I'm still going to the Grand Line, though," Lucy said.

"Yeah. Do whatever you like," Ghin responded. "I'm a stranger to you, after all. I have no right to tell you what to do with your life. I just wanted to warn you." Ghin turned to Sanji, "And Sanji, thank you very much. Not only do I owe my life to you-but the food itself was very delicious." With that said, he set off.

"Oi, waitress! Sanji! Get to work!'

~.~

Lucy was hustling back and forth, writing orders, getting their orders, taking dishes away, she was having a hard time keeping track of it all. Suddenly, she heard...

"Yo, waitress!" Lucy turned around to see Zoro, Usopp, and Nami all sitting at one table. "Would you take our order?"

"You guys...!" Lucy muttered.

"I heard you have to work for a year here!" Usopp yelled.

"Y-You guys are eating without me?" Lucy said, looking at their table.

Zoro watched Lucy as she bickered with the others. He blushed at just how adorable she looked in the waitress outfit. The way it showed off every part of her body both perfectly and innocently at the same time. While Zoro was looking away, Usopp put a booger into Zoro's drink, and everyone started snickering when he put it up to drink, and just as it was about to reach his lips...

"You drink it!" he yelled as he shoved the glass into Usopp's mouth. Lucy and Nami burst out into laughter when Usopp hit the floor.

"I-I can't believe you did that..."

"I can't believe _you_ did that."

"Now, now, Lucy-chan..." everyone turned around to see Sanji appear next to Lucy. "You should be getting back to work now, shouldn't you, Lucy-chan?" Lucy thought about it for a minute.

"I guess you're right..." she responded. As she turned around to leave, Sanji put his hand on Lucy's waist. Zoro glared at him. Sanji then pulled Lucy closer to him. Zoro's glare intensified. _'What the hell does that chef think he's doing?' _Just then, Sanji looked at Zoro, and you could practically see the lightning between their eyes. Nami and Usopp sweat-dropped.

"Uh, Zoro...?" Nami asked.

"What?" he asked, annoyed. His eyes still held the mixture of annoyance, jealousy, and hatred, but mostly annoyance. Nami 'eeped' before saying nothing.

Sanji turned to Lucy, "Oh, how I would be a pirate for you, but too much of an obstacle stands between us!"

"That obstacle is me, isn't Sanji?" Zeff asked. "This is a good opportunity. Go and be a pirate with them, considering you're no longer needed in the restaurant."

~.~

**There we go, the eighteenth chapter. How did you like it? Sorry it took a while, I spent all day typing it, considering I literally woke up at 11:30a.m. ^^' Anyway, I hope you like it; it's what you've all been waiting for, after all, the flirt Sanji is. ^^ Yes, Zoro was jealous that Sanji was puttin' his hands on Lucy. Please R&R, and I'll update soon. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_feressalovesyaoi_  
><strong>

**_Pen-Woman_**

**RedRose43**

_"Cooking should be a carefully balanced reflection of all the good things of the earth."_

_-Jean and Pierre Troisgros_


	19. Don Krieg Enters the Scene!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello good people. Welcome to chapter 19. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

_**Chapter 19: Don Krieg Enters the Scene!**_

"You damn geezer!" Sanji said. "I'm the Sous Chef-what do you mean you don't need me?"

"You're always getting into trouble with the customers," Zeff replied. "You flare your nostrils once you see a girl. You can't even cook a decent meal." Everyone started snickering, aside from Lucy and her crew.

"Say that again," Sanji gritted from his clenched teeth.

"Also, all the cooks try to avoid you," Zeff said. "So go be a pirate or whatever, and leave this restaurant already!"

"What's with this all of a sudden?" Sanji asked softly, but his face clearly said 'pissed-off'. "When I keep my mouth shut, you just keep running it, you damn geezer! I'm not just going to let you talk trash on my cooking. No matter what you say, I'll stay a chef here 'til you die!"

"I won't die! I'll live on for a hundred more years!" he said walking away.

"Tch." Sanji said. "Let's go, Lucy."

"Y-Yeah," she replied. And they continued to walk. Of course, you know how Zoro reacted.

~.~

"Geez," Usopp said. "It's been four days already! When can we leave here?"

_'Yeah'_ Zoro thought. _'And for four days, Sanji has been layin' his hands on _my _Lucy.'_

"Who knows?" Nami replied. "What's the problem? The food is free, and it's comfortable here."

"For you and Lucy, that is," Zoro said, jealousy obviously pouring from his mouth that the _love cook_ got to have more time with Lucy than Zoro. All three of them watched Lucy through the windows of the restaurant; watching her walk gracefully as she took orders, set food down, and take empty dishware.

"You have to admit she's good at her job," Nami stated. "And her childish charm is bringing customers that were there previous days to come see her again!"

_'Great'_ Zoro thought. _'The last thing we need is her surrounded by numerous love-struck puppies, let alone the love cook.'_

Suddenly, they noticed everyone in the restaurant's attention, including Lucy, were looking directly out of one window; most of the expressions held fear, while Lucy's was one of concentration and slight confusion. They turned their attention to where everyone was looking at, and gasped when they saw Don Krieg's galleon.

"This is bad; we gotta get outta here!" Usopp yelled.

"What a huge galleon!" Nami exclaimed.

~.~

"What a huge ship!" Lucy exclaimed as she stepped outside to where Sanji was. "Do you think Ghin came back to repay you for your kindness?"

"I doubt it," Sanji said. "But I wonder..."

"Their ship is really beat up..." Lucy said.

"It doesn't look like it was attacked by canons," Sanji noted. "But then, it's hard to think the damage was man-made."

"Did they come across a tornado or something?" Lucy asked.

"Here he comes," Sanji stated. They headed inside and stood on the spiral staircase, watching.

"I'm sorry, but could you give me some water and food?" Krieg asked. "We have money; lots and lots of money...I can't even remember the last time I ate. Please...give me some water and food..."

"He's hungry," Lucy stated. She looked up at Sanji to see him heading up the stairs. She gave him a questionable look.

"P-Please! Help our captain!" Ghin yelled. "He's really about to starve! He hasn't eaten for days! He'll die if he doesn't eat anything soon!"

Patty laughed. "This is quite the show! It's a riot to see the famous Don Krieg in such a state..."

"We have money this time! We're customers!"

"How ridiculous! Hey, contact the Navy right away!"

"What?" Ghin muttered.

"He's at his weakest right now. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Patty exclaimed. "There's no need to feed him anything. Just keep him under arrest." The customers all started muttering and whispering among themselves.

"I won't do anything..." Krieg said, bowing. "Once I eat, I promise I will leave quietly...so...please...help me!"

"Don Krieg! Please stop bowing!" Ghin said. "Please stop begging! It's not something you should have to do! Please don't do something so disgraceful!"

"I promise...please. I'll take leftovers or anything...anything...!"

"Don..." Ghin muttered.

"Heh! Are you trying to gain our sympathy?"

"Oi. Outta the way, Patty," Sanji said, kicking Patty's face into the brick.

"Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed.

"S-Sanji-san!" Ghin said. Sanji set a bowl of food in front of Krieg.

"Here, Ghin. Let him eat it."

"Sanji-san..."

"Thank you!" Krieg exclaimed as he ate the food in a barbaric manor.

"Sanji! Take that food away now! Do you realize what kind of man he is? He's named the East Blue Ruler, the foul player Krieg! Leaving after eating? That's impossible for him! Letting such a wicked fiend die without help is for the good of society!"

Suddenly Krieg stood up and knocked Sanji to the ground.

"Eh?" Lucy muttered, looking at Sanji.

"S-Sanji!" one of the cooks yelled.

"T-This isn't what we agreed, Don Krieg!" Ghin yelled. "I brought you here under the condition that you wouldn't hurt the restaurant or anyone in it! And that man saved our lives...!" Krieg picked Ghin up by his arm.

"Yeah...the food was delicious," he said before squeezing Ghin's arm so a crack was heard. Ghin yelled in pain. "I feel alive again." He threw Ghin to the floor. All the customers ran out yelling and running for their lives.

~.~

"H-Hey...what the hell is going on in there?" Usopp asked as they watched customers ran out of the restaurant in a panic.

"We'll see when we go in there," Zoro responded.

"EH!" Usopp panicked.

"What?" Zoro asked. "Are you scared?"

"Wha...? Don't be stupid!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Hmph!" Zoro responded, turning his attention to the galleon. "This is odd. There's almost no sign of anyone on that ship..."

~.~

Krieg looked around with expecting eyes. He smirked.

"This is a good restaurant. I'll take this ship for myself."

Sanji looked up, "So...that's what you...want..."

"My ship became a wreck, so I want a new one. You'll get off this ship after you take care of what I tell you to do."

"Don Krieg..." Ghin said, clutching his arm. "This isn't what you promised..."

Ignoring Ghin, Krieg pointed to his galleon, "There're about one hundred underlings still alive on my ship. They're weak with hunger and severe injuries. First, prepare a hundred meals and water for them. There're some who've already starved to death. Bring the provisions over immediately!"

"Are you telling us to revive pirates that are going to attack this ship?" one chef proclaimed.

"You're refusing?" Krieg asked. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not asking a favor; I'm giving you orders. I don't care who you are! DON'T DEFY ME!" Krieg yelled, causing everyone to cringe.

"Sanji-san..." Sanji turned to Ghin. "Sanji-san, I'm sorry...I didn't mean for this to happen..."

"You son of a bitch!" Patty yelled. "This is all your fault!"

Sanji stood up and started walking.

"Oi, Sanji! Where're you going?"

Sanji stopped and turned around, "To the kitchen. I have to prepare a hundred more meals."

"Sanji?" Lucy said in astonishment. All the cooks started yelling at him.

"Right," Krieg said. "That's how it should be." All the cooks surrounded Sanji with pitchforks and knives.

"Are you Krieg's spy, Sanji?" one questioned.

"We can't let you go into the kitchen!" another proclaimed. "We're fed up with your behavior!"

"Go ahead," Sanji said, holding out his arms. The others stared at him with surprise. "If you want to stop me, go ahead!" Lucy stared at him. "All I know is that he's a rogue. But that doesn't matter to me. It's too much of a bother to think of what happens after we feed them. I'm a cook; that's it. I'll feed the hungry. That's my job." His eyes widened as he got punched in the back.

"Patty!" one chef exclaimed.

"Oi! Someone keep him restrained!" Patty yelled.

Lucy kneeled down. She could feel the familiar head ache; it was happening again.

_'Damn you Phelemeon...Eraquor...Eracire...you better help me with this soon.' _She bit her lip in order to keep herself from screaming. Nothing...nothing was as painful as this. No battle. No sickness. Nothing could compare to the pain. When the flashes were over, her eyes snapped open. She had seen Krieg shoot them with weapons hidden from large armor.

"Cheater!" she yelled, interrupting Patty. All eyes turned to her as she pointed to Krieg. "You're wearing all kinds of armor and hidden weapon under those clothing!" Everyone stared at her. Krieg chuckled.

"You're a sharp one, waitress," Krieg said. He stripped his regular clothing to reveal extreme armor. "Perhaps I'll keep you as a souvenir." Lucy stared at him with hard eyes.

~.~

**There you go! The nineteenth chapter! Did ya like it? Did ya? Did ya? ^^ Anyway, it seems Phelemeon has kicked up again at just the right time. I'm still trying to decide when is the right time to completely introduce exactly what Phelemeon is to Lucy. But, I'll decide that later. Please R&R. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_supersaiyan3goku_**

**_zofie15_**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

**_Mimi522_**

**_keh_**

_"Jealousy is bred in doubts. When those doubts change into certainties, then passion either ceases or turns absolute madness."_

_-Francois de La Rochefoucaould_


	20. Phelmic Powers?

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. :(**

_**Chapter**** 20: Phelmic Powers? Is There MORE to Lucy's Story?**_

Lucy stared with Don Krieg with hardened eyes. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard. Everyone turned to see Zeff come down with a sack in his hands. Once he was in front of Krieg, he set the sack in front of him. "Here. This should be about enough food for a hundred people. Bring this to your ship right away." Krieg merely smirked.

"Owner Zeff!" the chefs chorused.

Krieg froze, "Z...Zeff? You must be Red Foot Zeff!"

"Yes. What of it? As you can see, I live as a cook now."

Krieg laughed, "Yes, yes. But it's not a manor of living as a cook it's that you _have_ to live as a cook. To you, losing one of your legs means you're unable to fight now."

"What of fighting?" Zeff asked. "I can live as a cook as long as I have my hands. Get to the point!"

"Red Foot Zeff. You are the man who once entered the Grand Line and came back uninjured. There should be a log book of your year in the Grand Line. Give it to me!"

"You've been to the Grand Line too, old man?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah..." Zeff answered. "My log book? I indeed have it with me...but you can't have it." Krieg's face turned from cocky to angry. "That log book is the pride of my crewmen who I traveled with. It's too important to give to you."

"Then I'll take it from you by force!" Krieg said, his hand balled into a fist. "Even if I fell on the Grand Line once, I'm Don Krieg, the strongest man. I had enough power, force, and ambition! I only lacked information. I will gain your log book and once again sail for the One Piece. And then, I'll stand on top of this Great Pirate Era!" Lucy jumped off the staircase, and in front of the staircase.

"Wait just a second," Lucy said, her pointer finger raised at Krieg. "I will be the Pirate Queen!"

"Back off, waitress! He's too dangerous!"

"I can't back off from a challenge like this," Lucy said. "Just who is going to be your souvenir again?"

"You, the Pirate _Queen_? Now, now, a puny girl such as you would never land such a title. I admit you might be a bit sharp for figuring out I had armor; however, it requires power. A weak _girl_ could never claim such a high title."_  
><em>

Heh heh. That did it. You could just see the pure black aura surrounding her. She walked up to Krieg, and you could see black wrap around her palm, creeping out from her bandaged wrist. She put her hand up to his head, and _thumped_ him. _THUMPED_ him. You see, the one thing Lucy could _never_ forgive someone for was labeling a girl as weak in such an oblivious manor. Krieg flew back and his back crushed into his galleon. Lucy fell to her knees, feeling dizzy and not knowing what happened. She held her head. It throbbed in pain. '_Damn it all' _she thought. _'I let the Phelemor seep into my Phelemeon because of emotions again. Shit. Eraquor's really gonna give me an earful the next time I see her. Hopefully Eracire will be there to cool her down.' _When she finally felt the pain ease, she turned to see all eyes on her, including a certain liar and moss-head who entered just in time to see the thump. Everyone's eyes were wide, except Zoro's. His eyes were filled with slight confusion, but humor nonetheless. They all stopped the eye-awement once Don Krieg entered back in. His eyes were filled with rage and hatred.

"You," he said referring to Lucy. "I'll deal with you later, little girl. As for now, I must feed my men. Anyone who wants to be killed for no reason can stay." Everyone silently watched, Lucy's eyes filled with hate, as he walked out with the huge sack. Once he was out of earshot, Ghin spoke up.

"I'm so sorry," Ghin said. "I never imagined this is how it would end up."

"It's not something you should be sorry for," Zeff said. "All the cooks here just acted on their own according. As for you." he said, looking at Lucy."May I ask what that power was right now? I doubt that was a Devil Fruit Power."

Lucy looked down. She thought of all her bad experiences with Phelemeon and Phelemor; none of them were pleasant ones, _especially_ Phelemor. Just the thought of it made her wanna puke. And trust me, she's puked from just the thought. The only good thing about it was that it was what connected her with her mom, Eraquor, and Eracire.

"Please..."she muttered. "Please, I must not talk of it. I just...can't." Zeff eyed her before nodding in understanding.

"You use Phelmic powers, don't you?" Lucy looked at him in surprise before nodding.

"Yes, but how do you...?"

"Know of it? I used to study it when I was a pirate, however my study stopped when ancient writings were all that was left of my study," Zeff answered. People began asking each other if they knew what "Phelmic" was. Zoro's mind was rattling.

_'Phelmic? As in...Phelemeon?'_ Zoro thought. _'But wait. If Phelmic is a whole category, then are there other powers similar to Phelemeon? And wait, her powers activated here? Shit, now I feel guilty 'cause I wasn't here!'_

"So that's how you knew he had armor..." Zeff concluded. Everyone, aside from Lucy, Zoro, and Usopp were all lost, not knowing these terms. "Anyway," he said, snapping everyone's attention. "If you all have time to grumble about the situation, then leave through the back door!" he yelled, knowing full well the murmurs and whispers being passed about.

"I'm staying and fighting," Patty said, gripping his large fork. "I couldn't bear it if I got beaten down without putting up a fight." After Patty, all the chefs started shouting similar words and started getting fired up.

"What do you think you're doing? Did you not see how strong Don is!" he demanded.

"And did you not see how far he flew when Lucy thumped him?" Zoro retorted. Lucy couldn't help but giggle, no matter how much she hated her Phelmic powers. Zoro smiled at her reaction.

"Ghin, I'll inform you now," Sanji said, getting up. "It's a cook's duty to feed the hungry. But who we're going up against are people who just had a well-cooked meal. Which means if they hurt this restaurant, even if it's you..." he looked up. Oh, if looks could kill. "I'll kill you without hesitation!"

"You're so hopeless, Sanji," Patty said. "First letting him live then killing him."

"See? He's cool, isn't he?" Lucy asked Zoro and Usopp, pointing to Sanji. Zoro 'hmphed' and turned away. Lucy pouted.

"You're worried about that _now_?" Usopp fretted, his knees shaking. "We gotta get outta here _now_!"

"Calm down!" Zoro said. "Even if it's Krieg, he's got injuries."

"Ghin!" Lucy shouted as she realized something. "Didn't you say you didn't know anything about the Grand Line? But you _went_ there."

Ghin started sweating and looked down, "The fact I don't know anything still stands true. I still don't know if what happened on the seventh day we entered the Grand Line was a dream or not. I still haven't gotten into terms with it. I just can't believe that a 50-ship fleet..." he breathed in deeply. "...could be wiped out by a single man!" Everyone looked at him with shock and/or fear; even Lucy. She never got scared of anything aside from her Phelmic powers. Usopp screamed. I'm pretty sure he wet his overalls by then. "It happened suddenly," Ghin said, somewhat calmed down. "As soon as the man appeared, he sank ships one after another. If we hadn't been lucky enough to have that storm then, our main ship would've been completely destroyed as well. I have no idea how many ships we have left...it was just so dreadful I couldn't accept it was real. I don't want to remember! That man...he had eyes sharp like a hawk whose glares alone could give you the chills of death!"

Zoro's eyes widened as he leaned to the banister. "What...?" he muttered. _'__What did he just say?'_

"That must be Hawk-Eye," Zeff concluded. "You saying his eyes were like a hawk's isn't just proof. What that man did is proof enough that it was him!"

"Hawk-Eye?" Zoro said clearer as he leaned farther into the banister.

"Do you know him or something Zoro?" Lucy asked.

"...Sort of," Zoro said. "He's the man I'm looking for. I went out to sea to meet him."

"Is it possible he has some deep grudge on you guys?" Sanji asked Ghin.

"We never did anything to him!" Ghin raised his voice.

"Perhaps you woke him from a nap or something," Zeff suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ghin exclaimed. "I'll be damned if he crushed our fleet for such a reason!"

"Don't be so worked up," Zeff said. "It was just a suggestion. That's just how the Grand Line is."

"What a place..." Usopp muttered.

"He's probably saying anything can happen," Zoro stated.

"Lucy! Let's not go to a place like that!" Usopp said while crying anime tears. Lucy started shaking. Usopp stared at her. "Lucy?"

"It sounds so exciting!" Lucy yelled, grinning ear-to-ear.

"You've gotta get the 'danger' concept pounded in your head!" Usopp yelled. Zoro hit him in the head with the end of his katana.

"Anyway, my goal is narrowed down to the Grand Line now," Zoro said.

"Eh?" Usopp whined, crying more anime tears while holding the bump on his head.

"I'll be able to see that man if I go there..." Zoro smirked.

"Are you guys stupid?" Sanji asked. "It's people like you that die before anyone else."

"Maybe, but you don't have to label us as 'stupid'," Zoro retorted. "When I decided to become the strongest swordsman, I devoted my life to it. Since it was my decision, I'm the only one who can label myself as 'stupid'."

"Same as me! I'll never give up 'till I fulfill my dream!" Lucy said.

"Lucy-chwan!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. Zoro glared at him. They then had a glaring contest called 'Whoever Shoots the Most Lighting from Their Eyes Wins!'.

"S-S-S-Same H-H-H-Here! Only natural for a man of the sea!" Usopp stuttered as his knees shook in his cowardly manor. Zoro poked his head with the end of his katana.

"In any case, that's a lie," Zoro stated.

"Such nonsense," Sanji muttered, lighting his cigarette.

"Oi! Do you idiots understand the situation?" Patty yelled. "The huge ship docked in front of us is none other than Don Krieg's galleon! We must be both physically and mentally prepared for the battle to come!" That's when they heard the yells of many men.

"Here they come! I hear their war-cry!"

"We'll protect the ship to the end! This is our restaurant!" That was when they heard what sounded like cutting and ocean waves crashing among each other. Everyone in the Baratie watched in horror as the ship split into perfect separations of a once whole ship. The Baratie crashed back and forth from the sudden waves.

"Raise the anchor!" Zeff ordered. "Or we'll sink along with the galleon!"

"This is bad!" Zoro said. "Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny are still on the ship! Damn it! It might be too late!" He and Lucy rushed outside. Lucy looked down.

"Big Bro Zoro!"

"Little Sis Lucy!"

"Yosaku, Johnny!" Lucy exclaimed. "Are you guys okay? Where's Nami?"

"About that..." Yosaku said. "Sorry Big Bro, Little Sis! She's gone! She took the treasure and ran off!"

"EH?" Lucy, Zoro, and Usopp chorused.

"That man is..." Zeff said, looking ahead. Zoro looked. His eyes instantly widened. He shook and he could hear his heartbeat. Naturally, seeing this, Lucy put her hand atop his in comfort. It helped him, a little.

"That's...Hawk-Eye!"

~.~

**How'd you like it? Was it good? More mystery to Lucy's power! Phelmic powers? Questions soon to be answered, or perhaps not-too-soon. I guess we'll find out. I'm sorry it took so long to update this. I had to stay after school because I had a dress rehearsal for my chorus concert tomorrow. Also because of the concert tomorrow, I may not finish it in time for it to be up by tomorrow. :( Anyway, please R&R, and I'll see ya later. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR READING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_Mimi522_**

**_zofie15_**

**_supersaiyan3goku_**

**_LazyFoxLover_**

**_Night-Shadow56_**

**_choco-eater_**

_"Fear has its use but cowardice has none."_

_-Mahatma Gandhi_


	21. Mihawk vs Zoro!

**Wolfy-tan: Here's the twenty-first chapter! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I never owned One Piece and unfortunately never will. If I did own it, Luffy would be a girl!**

_**Chapter 21: Mihawk vs. Zoro! Mihawk Decides to Win Over Lucy?**_

"And that's how she took the ship!" Johnny concluded.

Zoro punched the wall of the Baratie, "Damn it! She's making this crisis worse for us!"

Lucy knelt down in shock. _'I left the journal Kaa-chan gave me there!'_

"Kaya gave us that ship!" Usopp seethed.

Zoro looked out at the sea, "I can still see it. That's definitely it."

"Where is your ship?" Lucy asked Yosaku and Johnny.

"We have it here," Yosaku answered.

"Zoro, Usopp! Take the ship and follow Nami right away!" Lucy ordered.

"Forget about it," Zoro said. "Just let her have the ship. There's no need to go after her."

"It's an order!" Lucy said. "I won't accept anyone but her as our navigator!" They paused for a second as Zoro read the desperation and stubborness in her eyes.

"All right," Zoro said, giving up. "Such a high-maintenance captain..." Zoro gave her one last look before turning to Usopp. "Let's go, Usopp."

"Huh? Okay..."

"The ship's ready, Big Bro Zoro!" Yosaku and Johnny said in unison.

"I would go," Lucy said, her straw hat in hand. She had changed after the galleon was sliced, knowing full well she would be fighting. "But I have to set the score with that gorilla." Zoro smiled before ruffling her hair. Lucy giggled and smiled. Her true smile. Not that shitty fake smile she wore to hide her emotion. Her smile made Zoro's smile widen.

"You better be careful," Zoro warned. "The situation here isn't a normal one."

Lucy nodded, "I know."

"It's the man who destroyed our fleet!" they heard one of the underlings of Don Krieg yell from the galleon. Everyone turned. Zoro got a nervous look in his eyes. Lucy put her hat back on and took Zoro's hand in hers again. Zoro instantly relaxed from her touch.

"T-That man!" Zoro muttered. He could feel his heart beat faster and faster. If Lucy wasn't holding his hand who knew just how shooken up he'd be. He could feel a lump rise in his throat, "So that man is..."

"Zoro?" Lucy asked. "Who is that?"

"That's the man I've been looking for," Zoro answered, his voice low. Lucy gave a light squeeze to his hand, sensing his tension. "Hawk-Eye Mihawk!"

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk..." Lucy repeated.

"The world's strongest swordsman..." Zoro muttered. He clutched to Lucy's hand as if it was his only chance of sanity. _'I never thought I would see him so soon...'_ he clutched his katana with his free hand. _'It's finally time to fulfill my promise.'_

"Lucy," Zoro said, grabbing her attention. "I must go." Lucy, understanding fully what he meant, let go of his hand. Zoro immediately missed the warmth from her touch but knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. With that thought in his mind, he snuck onto what was left of Krieg's ship. He once he was on, he saw one of the underlings shoot at Mihawk, only for it to be deflected.

"What just happened?" the shooter asked. "I know I shot straight at him!"

"He averted them," Zoro said. "He gently changed the bullets' course, using the edge of his sword."

"That can't be true!" he said. Zoro began to walk away. "O-Oi! Who are you?"

"Three katanas...could it be...?" another underling muttered.

"I've never seen a sword moved so gently..." Zoro complimented.

"There is no strength in swordplay based on only force," Mihawk retorted.

"I'm guessing you used that sword to slice this ship as well?" Zoro inquired.

"You're correct," Mihawk answered.

"I see...you're the strongest..." Zoro stated nervously. Regaining his composture, he said, "I went out to sea to meet you."

"And what is your goal?" Mihawk asked.

"To become the strongest!" Zoro exclaimed, tying his bandana.

"How foolish," Mihawk said. Zoro drew one of his katanas.

"You have spare time, don't you? Let's fight!" Zoro dared.

"This guy is Roronoa Zoro!" an underling realized. "Roronoa Zoro of Three Swords Style!"

"EH?" the underlings chorused.

"This isn't good, Lucy!" Usopp reported. "Soon the Going Merry will be out of sight! ...Oi, Lucy!" Lucy wasn't listening; she too focused on Zoro and Mihawk.

"Fight?" Mihawk questioned. "Hmph! How pitiful, foolish weak one..." Zoro simply stood with his katana pointed at Mihawk. "If you are confident enough to fight..." Mihawk said, suddenly disappearing from his boat and in front of Zoro. "...you should be able to learn just how different our abilities are, even before we cross swords," Mihawk's eyes darted at Zoro's. "Is it your ignorance, or is it your courage that causes you to turn your sword against me?"

"It's my ambition!" Zoro exclaimed before putting one of his katanas in his mouth and drawing his other two katanas. "It's also for a promise I made to my dear friend and be able to stand next to my captain as an equal!" Lucy stared with her eyes wide. Equal? That brought tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, but Zoro snuck a glance at her and saw the tears. He smiled to himself.

"There's no one who can beat Big Bro Zoro!" Johnny exclaimed.

Mihawk ripped the cross necklace from his neck and unsheathed it; revealing a small dagger.

"Oi," Zoro said. "What's the meaning of that?"

"I'm not a beast who shall go all out to hunt a small rabbit," Mihawk metaphored. "Even if you're a swordsman whose earned a bit of a name for yourself, the East Blue is the weakest among the four seas. Unfortunately, I don't carry a smaller sharp instrunment other than this one."

"That's enough of making fun of me!" Zoro exclaimed, rushing toward Mihawk. "Better not regret it when I kill you!"

"Frog in the well..." Mihawk chanted. "...know how big the world is."

"Devil..." Zoro muttered. "...Strike!" He struck his swords, only for them to be blocked by the dagger. "W-What?"

"Zoro!" Lucy whispered to herself. She focused on nothing except Zoro and Mihawk.

"Big Bro's Devil Strike was stopped!" Johnny exclaimed, pointing out the obvious.

"Even a huge technique that never fails to blow an enemy away was..." Yosaku said. "What's going on?"

_'I can't move them!'_ Zoro thought. _'What did he do? No one has ever seen through this technique, and he stopped it using a toy like that? This...can't be happening! Our abilities are this far apart? No, that can't be right! It's not possible for there to be such a seperation this far...!'_

"The distance can't be this far!" Zoro exclaimed as he retreated his katanas and swung again, each time the dagger blocking him. Mihawk struck Zoro and he tumbled.

"This can't be happening, Big Bro!" Yosaku yelled. "Get serious!"

"Big Bro!" Johnny yelled.

"We can't be this far apart!" Zoro declared, and charged at him again.

"What ferocity your swordplay holds..." Mihawk stated.

_'I didn't pursue swordsmanship this whole time to be dealt with by a toy!'_ Zoro thought. He could feel the memories slowly seep out from his subconcsious, causing him to fall and be hit by Mihawk. He slowly got up, and swung his sword at Mihawk, only for it to miss; he landed on the ground once again, panting hard.

"What weight do you bear on your shoulders?" Mihawk asked. "What do you desire once you obtain power, weak one?"

"You dare call Big Bro weak, you bastard?" Yosaku demanded. His hand was just twitching to draw his sword.

"I'll teach you a lesson! He is...!" Johnny was cut off by Lucy.

"Stop it, Yosaku, Johnny! Don't interfere!" Lucy said as she grabbed both of them by their collars before they could jump off to join the fight. "Have you no faith in Zoro!" she more stated than asked. "Have patience." Though she said that, you could tell by her eyes that she just wanted to rush in their and help Zoro up.

"Lucy..." Usopp muttered, both shocked and amazed at the faith she was putting through to Zoro.

"I can't lose," Zoro said, standing up.

_"The world's greatest swordsman, huh? I'd except no less as the Soon-to-be Pirate Queen!"_

"Tiger Hunt!" Zoro yelled, but as his attack was about to hit, Mihawk struck him at his heart.

"You're just going to let me pierce you're heart?" Mihawk asked. "You are not withdrawing?"

"I don't know why..." Zoro answered. "I don't know why...but...if I withdrew even a step, I feel like those various important things such as pledges and promises in the past will be shattered, and I won't be able to come back to where I am now..."

"Yes," Mihawk agreed. "That is what defeat is about."

"Then all the more reason I can't withdraw," Zoro added.

"Even if you'll die?" Mihawk questioned.

"I'd rather die!" Zoro answered. Mihawk just stood for a second, as if thinking, and then withdrew his dagger, and covered it back up so it looked like a cross again.

"Kid! State your name." Zoro rearanged his katanas so they resembled a windmill.

"Roronoa Zoro," he said.

"I'll remember it," Mihawk said, withdrawing his main weapon. "I haven't seen anyone like you in a while, strong one. Thus, as a swordsman's courtesy, I'll give you the honor of sinking the world's strongest black sword into you."

"I appreciate it," Zoro responded. _'So this'll be the last hit'_ Zoro thought. _'Will it be the world's strongest? Or death?'_

"Big Bro, that's enough!" Johnny yelled. "Please stop!" Yosaku clashed his palms hastily and prayed. Lucy tightened her grip on the rails and glued her eyes to the fight.

"Three Sword Style..." Zoro began twisting the katanas in his hands to resemble a windmill. "Three Thousand Swords!" Swords clashed and everyone waited in suspense to see who got hit. Blood spattered from Zoro and the katanas in his hands broke, the one in his mouth the only one still intact.

_'I lost,'_ Zoro thought as he took his katana out of his mouth. _'I never imagined I'd ever lose...So this is the power of the world's strongest...'_ He stood up, faced Mihawk, and spread his arms horizontally.

"What are you..." Mihawk didn't finish when he saw Zoro's smirk.

"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame..." he said. Mihawk smirked as well.

"Admirable!" he said before slicing Zoro's chest once more, Zoro not moving an inch. Blood spurted out.

"Zoro!" Lucy cried.

"Zoro!" Usopp cried after Lucy.

"Big Bro!" Yosaku and Johnny cried in unison. Zoro fell back into the ocean water.

"Damn you, damn you...damn you!" Lucy screamed as she lunged at Mihawk with the help of her rubber self. Yosaku and Johnny dove into the water in hopes of finding Zoro. Mihawk merely moved aside and Lucy crashed into the wood.

"You are that young swordsman's comrade?" Mihawk asked. "You impressed me as well, waiting until the very end!" She got up from the broken wood around her. You could see a tear running down both of her cheeks.

"Don't worry; I didn't kill the man." She turned and saw Yosaku and Johnny lifting Zoro from the water.

"Zoro!" Lucy exclaimed. Her face held an overflow of worry and helplessness.

"It is too early for you to die," Mihawk said. "My name is Dracule Mihawk! Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! And especially become strong! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this seat as the strongest and wait for you. Surpass this sword, surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!" Mihawk turned to Lucy, "Young maiden, what is _your_ goal?"

"I will be the Pirate Queen!" Lucy stated.

Mihawk smirked, "Pirate Queen, huh? That'll be harder than surpassing me!" He turned his attention to her wrists and ankles. "Remember young maiden, you won't get far without telling your nakama everything."

Lucy's eyes widened. _'He knows.'_

"Also, take care of that young man. I can see the strong bond the two of you have formed."

Lucy looked into his eyes. _'Is it possible he's suggesting...?'_

"He's alive!" she heard Usopp exclaim. "Just unconscious." Zoro lifted his katana.

"Big Bro!" Johnny and Yosaku exclaimed.

"L-Lucy..." he managed to say. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah!" she yelled.

He started panting heavily, "Did I worry you? You except no less than the world's strongest swordsman, right?" He started coughing badly.

"Please don't say anything more, Big Bro!" Yosaku pleaded.

"I...I won't ever be defeated ever again!" Zoro declared. Tears began running down like a waterfall as his remaining katana pointed toward the sky. "Until the day I beat him and become the strongest swordsman...I'll never be defeated again! Got any problems with that...Queen of the Pirates?" Lucy smiled a warm smile.

"Not at all!" Lucy answered.

"The two of you make a good team," Mihawk complimented. "I want to see you guys again." He walked over and lifted Lucy's chin, their eyes meeting, "Zoro and I shall be rivals in more than one way, it seems. A lovely maiden like you is rare to find. I will win you over when the time comes," he brushed his lips over Lucy's cheek. Lucy could feel her cheeks turn red. _'EH?'_ Lucy thought to herself. Her heartbeat had quickened when she saw his smirk. He turned to walk away.

"Oi, Hawk-Eye!" Krieg yelled. Mihawk stopped. "Didn't you want to take my life, the life of the East Blue's ruler, Don Krieg?"

"I had been planning to," Mihawk said. "But I've had enough fun for today. I'm going home to rest."

Krieg smirked, "You may have had enough, but I'm tired of being beaten." Multiple guns appeared out of his armor. "Die before you leave!" he yelled, shooting his guns. Mihawk drew his sword. Smoke appeared everywhere. Lucy launched herself at the Baratie, knowing that if she didn't, she would've drowned. The chefs freaked out at her rubberness as she struggled to keep herself clinging to the rail. Sanji rushed over and helped her up.

"Usopp!" Lucy yelled.

"Lucy!" he yelled back.

"Go! I'm leaving Nami to you!" she said, smiling her warm smile. It caused Usopp to blush a small bit.

"Got it! Zoro and I will bring Nami back for sure!" he responded. He waved his hands, one holding her straw hat, frantically. "Make sure you get that cook to join us! Once all five of us are reunited, let's head to the Grand Line together!" he threw her straw hat to her.

Lucy's smile widened, catching her straw hat, "Yeah!" she turned to Zeff, "Old man, if I drive them away, can I stop doing chores?"

"Go ahead," Zeff answered.

~.~

**I'm done! ^^ How was it? Like it? Hate it? R&R for more of Lucy! I'd like to thank TheBlackSeaReaper for the amazing idea as of Mihawk flirting with Lucy. XD Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**supersaiyan3goku**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**zofie15**_

_**LazyFoxLover**_

_"A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive."_

_-Pearl Bailey_


	22. Lucy VS Don Krieg!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! Here's chapter 22. :D**

**Disclaimer: Do you really think I own One Piece? If you do, you're an idiot.**

_**Chapter 22: Lucy vs. Don Krieg!**_

"Promise, old man!" Lucy said. "If I beat the crap outta them, I don't have to do chores for a year."

"Yeah, yeah, I promise," Zeff said. "Earlier, you said you were going to be Queen of the Pirates. Were you serious?"

"Of course!" she responded. "I'll definitely become the Queen of the Pirates!"

"I've come across a bunch of roughnecks," Zeff said. "But you're the first who has stated it so clearly."

"I heard that you're an extremely strong pirate," Lucy stated. "Were you going to be the King of the Pirates?"

"I forgot about the past," Zeff admitted. "I'm the owner of a restaurant now and that's all that matters." Patty and Carne jumped into a...what the hell is it?

"This restaurant belongs to us cooks!" Patty yelled.

"No way will we let them have it!" Carne agreed. "N-Now...how do we operate this thing?" They started pressing buttons.

"As it stands, this restaurant will be a battle field..." Sanji stated, smoke coming out of his mouth as he spoke. He paused for a moment, as if recollecting memories. He turned to one of the chefs, "Go to the operating room and open the fins," he ordered.

"What?" the chef asked in shock. "Open up the fins? That's gonna give a foothold to the enemy!"

"That's fine," Sanji said. "We can't make the inside of the restaurant a battle field. If it becomes a battle field, the damn geezer will complain."

"Did you say something, you damn brat?" Zeff asked, pretending not to of heard.

"Yeah. I said you like to complain," Sanji turned to the chef he ordered. "Now go."

"H-Hai..." he said before rushing to the operating room. You could hear the battle cries of Don Krieg's underlings.

"Here they come!" she said to herself. "They're finally coming!" Though, despite being excited to fight, Lucy couldn't help but think about everything in her subconscious. She was slowly becoming more and more stressed, and Mihawk and Nami had only added to the stress. Setting those memories back in her subconscious, she put her hands on the rail and walked as far as possible, her arms stretching.

"Rubber...Rocket!" she yelled as she flied to Krieg's broken galleon. All the underlings became scared, and started running to stay away from where she could possibly land.

"Rubber...Giant Scythe!" she yelled again as her arm swung and hit all the underlings; one by one, they landed in the sea. She quickly stretched her arms so that she landed on the broken mast.

"Way to go, waitress!" she heard one of the chefs yell.

"To think you'd attack the restaurant after they gave you food," Lucy said casually as she hugged the mast. "I'll have to beat up an ingrate like you!"

Krieg laughed, "You plan to attack me when we're surrounded by sea with little foothold? It's not necessary to attack me you know; you're just a girl. My offer to take you with us still stands."

She could feel the Phelemor try to seep into her again, but it wouldn't work this time. She tried to control her anger toward such a sexist, "Yeah? Well, this girl sent you flying with a simple thump in the head!" They could hear noises coming from the Baratie. They both turned, confused as to what was happening. The fins rose up at the Baratie.

"So cool!" Lucy said, checking the fins out.

"We'll fight to the utmost, you damn pirates!" Sanji stated.

"I see," Krieg said. "You put up a battle field so the restaurant wouldn't be damaged. That works out for us, too, considering the ship is gonna be ours. I want the ship all the more." The chefs came out with weaponry, ready to fight anyone who dared come up. Then, a weird fish thing came out from the Baratie's side.

"What is that?" Krieg asked.

"So cool!" Lucy exclaimed. "I want it!" Then the fish shot at the broken galleon, causing major waves, making the mast Lucy was clinging to unstable.

"Watch how powerful Baratie's sea battle weapon is!" Patty yelled as he paddled. They shot it again, directly at Krieg, only to see it didn't leave a mark. He put his hand onto the weapon, keeping it from moving.

"I am Don Krieg!" he yelled. "I am the man who will rule the world's oceans!"

"I told you that's gonna be me!" Lucy yelled, annoyed by Krieg's words.

"I don't have time for your games!" he yelled. He picked up the fish machinery.

"What Herculean strength he has!" Patty exclaimed as they were lifted in the air with the fish. He threw the fish in the air, in the direction of the Baratie. The chefs began panicking. Sanji, realizing this, jumped in the air and kicked it out of the Baratie's way.

"So cool!" Lucy yelled. Sanji got hearts in his eyes, looking her way.

"W-With his foot?" Krieg muttered. "That foot technique is...!"

"Was I cool, Lucy-chwan?" Sanji asked. Lucy grinned and gave him a thumbs up. All the chefs sweat-dropped. Lucy noticed that the underlings were trying to get onto the fins. _'Oh no you don't! I'm not letting you guys get on!'_ She tried to think of what she could do. _'...I got it! A Phelemeon spell!'_ She closed her eyes, imagining herself, imagining the underlings trying to get onto the fins. She fully immersed herself into this imaginative place. She held out her hand. Waves started pushing out from the Baratie supernaturally, pushing the underlings far out from the Baratie. She opened her eyes. Just as she expected; the spell worked. The underlings were gasping for air as the waves pushed them, the Baratie completely unharmed. All the chefs, including Sanji and excluding Zeff, looked around, astonished at what just happened. Zeff looked at Lucy, completely understanding what she just did; in his eyes he was thanking her. Lucy smiled but felt a sharp pain in her head now. Yup; the effects of Phelemeon were setting in now. Lucy sighed; she was never properly trained in the spell-casting part of Phelemeon. Lucy looked at Krieg, who was equally astonished.

"None of you will reach the Baratie as long as I'm here," Lucy taunted. The mast fell, and she ran across it, full speed at Don Krieg. Krieg threw small gas bombs. Once the gas rose, he shot dangerously pointy missiles into the mist. You could hear them cutting Lucy all over. They were deep. Lucy ran out of the mist.

"If I must, I will make the sea your graveyard, girl," Krieg said.

"Rubber...!" she yelled.

"Just see if you can hit me!" he said, wrapping a sheet around him that had spikes all over.

"...Pistol!" she yelled, punching his face through the sheet. Blood spurted from her fists; she didn't care. He got knocked to the ground. She took her bleeding hand and ripped the missile from her shoulder.

"Are you sure this is my graveyard," Lucy said. She pulled another from her thigh, "...or yours?" She pulled the last from her leg. "Don't think...you'll send me to my graveyard with this crap! I'm not gonna die here!" There was a long pause.

"'I'm not gonna die here,' you say?" Krieg whispered, catching his breath. He slowly got up, "If you're not gonna die here, then...who the hell will?" he yelled, hitting Lucy with one of his shoulder armor plates. "You will, right?" he said, mockingly. Lucy jumped behind him and dragged him with her foot. He fell to the ground again. Lucy smirked. Krieg got up, putting his two shoulder armor plates together, creating a spear from it. Lucy jumped up right before he hit her with it.

"What's that?" Lucy asked herself. "It exploded."

"Now I'll see how long you can keep avoiding it..." Krieg said, swinging it again, causing the broken galleon to smash into even more pieces. Lucy was blown away. She stretched her arm to grab and land on another large debris from the galleon.

"What's with that spear?" She asked to herself. "It explodes every time he strikes it?" She tried standing up; however, she lost to much blood, causing her to not be able to move.

"You're taking the toll for overdoing it," Krieg said. "You must be reaching your limit."

"Damn," she said. "With the foothold rocking like this, I won't be able to fight with full power." Krieg jumped to the foothold she was on.

"Die!" he yelled, swinging it. He blinked; she wasn't there anymore. He turned to his spear. She was clinging to it.

"That was close," she said.

"Damn brat!" He yelled, striking the spear, sending her flying yet again. He shot an explosion at Lucy, who was midair.

"Lucy-chan!" Sanji yelled. Lucy fell on the foothold. She shakily got up again.

"Heh! You sure did make me angry," Krieg said. "I won't let you die so easily!" he laughed. He swung at Lucy again. She fell back again. "Heh! How easy!" Krieg said before turning and walking. Lucy got up again. "Now, that makes you worth crushing." He swung again; she fell back again. This repeated.

"Y-You bitch!" he shouted, about to swing again. "I said this is where you die!" There was an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Krieg's eyes widened like saucers to see Lucy still standing. She stomped the ground; the force made the spear's tip break.

"M-My Mighty Battle Spear...! What did you do?" Lucy smirked.

"I gave it five punches," she responded. "I guess that's it for your spear. With that spear broken, it's just a bomb on a stick. It's power is cut in half."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yes, actually."

"A bomb of a stick? What of it? Given the state you're in, the force will be more than enough to blow you away!" He exclaimed, rushing toward Lucy and striking it, Lucy dodging with ease.

"Rubber...Gatling!" she yelled, throwing her punches in a frenzy at his armor. Once she was done, she landed a distance away from him. Krieg laughed.

"Weak!" he said. "Your punches are nothing against my steel armor! You can't even make a dent in it."

"Rubber Pistol!" she yelled, rushing at him. When she hit him, it sounded as if a large gong. There was a pause.

"What impudence!" he yelled, throwing her from him and swinging his bomb-on-a-stick. Lucy was thrown to the ground.

Krieg laughed again, "How useless! This armor won't break with a thousand of your weak punches!"

"I think I'm pretty close...huh?" she looked around. "He's gone."

"I'm right here!" he yelled from the top of the main mast. "Remember this, girl. The strongest is the one who survives. The strong one!"

Lucy ran up the mast, "That'll be me! Rubber...!"

"It's useless!" he said. "Even pride can only take you so far!" He swung the bomb-on-a-stick.

"...Bazooka!" she hit him dead on. Still, the armor was not broken. He laughed.

"No good. This is all you can do," he looked down at his armor. Crack after crack, his armor began to break.

"What? The strongest armor in the world is breaking?" he exclaimed. "But it's already too late. You're done for, girl!" One by one, bombs fell into the sea.

"It's a trap!" Sanji yelled. "Get out of there!" It was too late; the bombs exploded.

"Lucy-chan!" Sanji screamed. Krieg smirked. A few seconds past. Rubber arms shot up.

"Rubber..." Lucy smirked at Krieg, who probably peed his pants right there. "...Bazooka!" his armor completely shattered. "I win!"

"Don't get carried away, brat!" he yelled.

"He's still alive," she stated. He launched a net at her; she couldn't escape. Krieg laughed.

"Good luck getting out of here! It's a steel net! Below us is the ocean. Say goodbye, girl!" Lucy popped her arms and legs from the net.

"As long as my arms and legs are out, I win!" she said. She twisted her legs, her feet on his face. "Rubber...Giant Gave!" He hit the foothold, causing it to break under him. Lucy fell into the ocean with the net around her.

"If you have time to daydream, save the girl already!" Zeff said to Sanji.

"Huh?"

"She won't be floating on the surface!" Zeff stated.

"Eh?"

"Those with Devil Fruit powers are hated by the sea, and lose the ability to swim."

"Why didn't you tell me that before, you damn geezer?" he said. He took off his shoes then his jacket. He hurried and dived into the water. He searched and searched, until he saw her in the net, the net caught to wood. She looked as if she was in pain. He hurried and undid the net, then got her out of the net. He pumped his legs to get back to surface. As they went up, the unconscious Lucy placed her hand on his forehead. He suddenly saw fish of all rare sorts.

_'All...Blue?'_ he thought. He looked at Lucy _'What did she do?'_

He finally reached air, "Don't you dare die, Lucy-chan!" He put her up on the fin of the Baratie. "Say something, Lucy-chan! Don't die!"

"Don't worry," Zeff said, "She's just unconscious. Listen to her breathing." Sanji put his ear to her chest. He was right; her heartbeat was at the slow pace that it should be when sleeping. "She must be having one hell of a nightmare, though," he said, referring to her expression. It was not one of comfort.

_'I wonder just what she's dreaming about...'_ Sanji thought.

~.~

**Thus is the end of the battle. Like it? Hate it? R&R for the next chapter! Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER:**

_**RedRose43**_

_**Night-Shadow56**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**kimmie93**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**LazyFoxLover**_

_**supersaiyan3goku**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**angelvan105**_

_"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."_

_-Abraham Lincoln_


	23. Noliaheart Lucy!

**Wolfy-tan: Greetings, viewers! Welcome to chapter 23. This is Lucy's dream that's really a flashback.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE BAKA**

**_Chapter 23: Noliaheart Lucy!_  
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_"Eraquor!" a seven-year-old girl yelled. "Eracire!" She ran up to a girl and a boy. They both looked to be thirteen; the girl had pale skin with red hair, but not firetruck red. She had dark eyes like the younger girl. The boy also had pale skin, but he had black hair and dark eyes like the girls'._

_"Where have you been, Lucy?" The older girl, Eraquor asked._

_"I was training my!" she exclaimed._

_"Yeah, yeah," The boy, Eracire said. "You gotta go, Obaa-sama is waiting for us." Lucy stuck out her tongue._

_"I don't wanna! Bleh!" she stomped her feet in an infantile manor. Eraquor got on her knees and whispered in Lucy's ear._

_"If you come...I'll sneak you some strawberries at dinner." Lucy immediately brightened._

_"What're we waiting for! Let's go!" she yelled. Eraquor giggled and Eracire just shook his head, smiling. They walked together, and they looked like a miniature family; Eracire the father, Eraquor the mother, and Lucy in the middle as the daughter. They walked around the island until they were on the complete opposite side of the village; the property of the Noliaheart family. They entered the main building, where the royal family lived and where political conversations would take place. Lucy entered with Eraquor and Eracire. Lucy ran to a woman with pale skin, raven hair and dark eyes._

_"Kaa-chan!" Lucy yelled as she jumped into her arms._

_"Lucy, you know why you're here, don't you?" she asked. Lucy pouted._

_"I don't wanna! I'm gonna be a pirate! I promised Shanks!" she immediately answered. Her mother sighed._

_"I figured. Unfortunately, you're the only one who can do it," she said._

_"No!" she pouted. "Eraqour or Eracire can do it; I don't wanna!"  
><em>

_"Lucy, it's you're duty as my first born to become heiress of the family," Lucy's mother strained._

_"No!" she said. Then, a large explosion was heard from one of the rooms."_

_"My Queen!" one of the servants yelled. "We are under attack! Phelemor users!" Lucy's face fell. The Phelemor users...the ultimate enemy of the Phelemeon users._

_"Kaa-chan...?" Lucy asked._

_"Tell everyone to evacuate immediately!" The queen yelled. Lucy ran alongside her mother; she knew just how dangerous the Darneels, the Phelemor users, magic was. You could hear the screams of Noliahearts before dying. Suddenly, a crew of Darneels surrounded the four. The queen was ripped from them._

_"Oh ho ho! The Queen! She'll make a good present for Atsuke-sama!" he said. He turned to Lucy. "Oh? The heiress, too? We really scored on this one!" Lucy growled as they grabbed her._

_"Let go of me, you bastard!" Lucy yelled. She felt a strong pain form in her stomach and fainted._

_~.~_

_When Lucy woke up, she was in an underground house of some sort. She had Sea Prism Stone hancuffs. She saw her mom; she appeared to be sick, considering the pale of her skin had gone to a sickly level, and she looked as if she was going in and out of consciousness._

_"Kaa-chan!" Lucy yelled, running to her._

_"Lu...cy..." she muttered. She coughed up blood. "Y-You...must...take Eraquor and Eracire...and..." she was cut off by her own coughing. "...and...get...out...o-of here...!" She started coughing again._

_"No, Kaa-chan! Not without you!" The door opened._

_"S...Shit," the queen muttered._

_"My , my, have you weakened considerably, Queen," the man who came through the door said._

_"Atsuke!" the queen said. Atsuke turned to Lucy._

_"Your daughter," he said bluntly. "This is Dragon's daughter also, correct?" the queen seethed._

_"Get away from her!" she yelled. Atsuke ignored her. He held Lucy up by her chin._

_"She'll grow up to be a beauty," he said. "Unless, of course, if she gets some..._scars_ from this experience..." Lucy glared at him. He smirked, "Little girl, I shall leave you, as well as your cousins, however, you must pay the price if you're up for it."_

_"Don't Atsuke!" the queen yelled._

_"Well, first things first," he said. "We need to get rid of your mum here." He walked up and pulled out a knife._

_"Atsuke, what is your goal?" the queen yelled._

_"You of all people should know, Queen," he said. "Phelmia."_

_"Are you crazy?" she asked. "Phelmia is completely gone destroyed; it's just a myth now!"_

_"I know the way to revive it," he said. "And this girl is the key."_

_"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" she barked._

_"This girl must experience how horrible pain is," he said, slamming the knife at her heart. Lucy screamed. Atsuke turned to Lucy with a devilish smile._

_"Weak one, you must become strong. Focus on your hatred and return to us," he said. The last thing he did before leaving was place his hands on Lucy's wrists. His hands enveloped in darkness, and a dark flash was created. Lucy screamed in pain. It was a horrible pain; one that could kill any normal person. Except, Lucy and Atsuke weren't normal. They were both disciples of the ancient Phelmic powers. However, their families were always at war with each other._

_The difference was their style._

_Phelemeon was based on imagination. Most people have to take in the scene around them and place it in their minds. You could basically do anything you wanted with it, as long as you had enough powers. Some people have mastered Phelemeon so that they could use it split second with their eyes open. However, some people, due to over-breeding, are born with the disorder that distorts their brain, so they can see into the future, whether conscious or not, but to a price. Brain cells are killed when the brain is in the process, but new cells are created to replace those brain cells, so it holds no threat to the user. Lucy is one of those people.__  
><em>

_Then there was Phelemor. Phelemor was the complete opposite. Phelemor was based on the reality of life, and how you could bend around so that the dark parts of reality can be used to their advantage. They fixate on the dark of people's hearts and bend it to their will. Phelemor was also known for creating deadly curses on opponents._

_Lucy looked down at her wrists and ankles; they were covered with ancient runes. She felt a sharp pain in her head, wrists, and ankles. She looked at her head to see that it also had the strange runes._

_"Congratulations, Lucy," Atsuke said. "You are now a pawn of my game. I've cursed you. Every time you use Phelemeon, darkness will slowly seep into you. Even when you're not using it, however, darkness will still seep in you, but not as much. Also, anytime you lose control of your emotions, Phelemor will increase its rate of seeping into you at an increasingly fast pace. Eventually, you'll be so overcome by the darkness, you'll come to me for help. Or you'll die. Unfortunately, I won't lift it from you now, because you must become strong. Good luck...Monkey Noliaheart D. Lucy." Lucy felt herself being enveloped with darkness, so painful her mind's first instinct was to temporarily shut off, causing her to lose consciousness._

_~.~_

_When she woke up, she was in a hospital. She was surrounded by her twin cousins, Eraquor and Eracire, and her grandfather, Garp. I didn't bother explaining what happened; if they found her, they obviously saw the scene._

_"Let out your tears, Lucy," Eraquor simply said, getting on the bed next to Lucy. Lucy cried all the tears she could muster, curled up with Eraquor. Eraquor and Eracire were technically her cousins, but she called them her siblings, because that was just how close they were with each other._

_"Lucy," Garp said. "You, along with your cousins, are going to be moving somewhere new."_

_Lucy didn't respond; she couldn't. Everything happened so suddenly, it was just too much to sink in at once; she lost all of her family, aside from Eraquor, Eracire, and Garp, she was going to die soon, and she had to move away from all that she grew up with. It was just too much to bear._

~.~

**Tada! The end, so far. A chapter to completely somewhat explain Lucy. Got it memorized? (KH Axel reference *fan girl squeel) ANYWAY, next up is Arlong Park! Are you excited? Feel free to review if there was anything I didn't clear up. If I can explain it without giving spoilers, I'll explain it at the end of the next chapter. R&R! Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

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><strong>

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_"Turn your wounds into wisdom."_

_-Oprah Winfrey_


	24. Sanji's Departure!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello people! It's Saturday and 11:15am and I just woke up! ^^ Here's chapter 24!**

**Disclamier: If I owned One Piece, I would put myself in it! Do you see me anywhere in the series? Nope. :P**

_**Chapter**** 24: Sanji's Departure!**_

Lucy woke up with a start. She saw something stuck in her nose to absorb her nosebleed. She looked at her head.

"Where's my hat!" she demanded.

"Right here, Lucy-chwan!" Sanji said, handing Lucy her straw hat.

"Oh good," she said, putting it on.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

Ignoring his question, she asked, "What about those pirates...?"

"They're gone now, thanks to you," he praised.

"Me?"

"Yup. Oh, and Ghin told me to tell you, 'See you on the Grand Line'," Sanji said. "What were you dreaming about, anyway? You seemed to be having one hell of a nightmare." Lucy froze. A bead of sweat flowed down her cheek. Sanji raised his brow. This was not the regular behavior of Lucy. Then she put a smile on.

"Can you come join us on the Grand Line?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, Lucy-chwan, I would love to go to sea with you, but a mighty force must drift us apart!" Sanji said dramatically. "As long as those dimwitted bozos are here, it is my duty to run the restaurant, but one day, I will go to the Grand Line."

"Then why not now?" she asked.

"Now...just isn't the right time, I guess..." Sanji muttered. "Say, have you heard of the All Blue?"

"What's the All Blue?" Lucy asked.

"You've never heard of it? That sea is a miracle!" Sanji exclaimed. Lucy had the "O" face. "The All Blue is where fish from the East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue all come together into one strip of sea! Somewhere like that must be on the Grand Line..." Sanji continued talking as Lucy listened. She smiled at his enthusiasm. _'It's obvious how much he loves his dream; but I might be the only chance he'll get to go to the Grand Line, and he refused...'_ "Do you want to go down and eat?" Sanji asked. Lucy grinned.

"Definitely!" With that said, they walked down to the kitchen to eat with the other chefs. Patty stood up.

"Oi! Who made this soup!" Patty demanded.

"I did!" Sanji said. "Isn't it good? I think I really outdid myself..."

"Is that a joke? I can barely hold this slop down!" Sanji glared. Oh, if looks could kill...

"I thought someone like you would like slop, Patty," Sanji taunted. "Seeing that's what pigs like..."

"Just face it Sanji," Patty said. "Your soup sucks!" All the other chefs agreed, putting their spoons down.

"What the hell is going on, you bastards!" Sanji demanded.

"We're sick of the way you run things. You don't deserve to be Sous Chef and everyone knows it," Patty said.

"You settle every disagreement with violence," another joined.

"If your food is bad, we won't hesitate to say so," another said.

"What'd you say!" Sanji demanded. Zeff tasted it.

"Don't forget we're cooks of the sea," Zeff said. "So you better not waste a single drop of that soup." Everyone looked at himm with surprise. Zeff ate all of it, then smashed the bowl.

"You old geezer," Sanji muttered.

"That dish tasted like stewed garbage," Zeff said. "If we served something like that here, we'd go out of business!" Sanji lifted Zeff by the collar.

"Are you an idiot? Just how is my soup different from yours?" Sanji declared.

"You dare think our skills are the same?" they glared at eachother. "Don't flatter yourself!" Zeff punched him off.

"He punched him!"

"He didn't kick him!"

"You think you can lecture me about cooking? I'm a man who has cooked on more seas than days you've been alive!" There was a short pause.

"Damn it all!" he yelled as he ran out the door. Lucy tried the soup. She went up for seconds.

"What was with all the complaining? This soup is amazing!" she exclaimed, pouring the soup in her bowl.

"We know it was good," Zeff said.

"Aside from Chef Zeff, he's the best we got."

"He really got mad."

"But that thick-skulled idiot wouldn't listen when we tried to reason with him," Zeff said. "Listen. You were saying you needed a cook, right? Would you mind taking that brat along with ya? Take him with ya to the Grand Line. That would be best for him. The Grand Line is his dream." When he said that, everyone talked about eachother's acting and how good the soup was. "So what do ya say, girl?"

"No way," she said. Everyone looked at him, astonished.

"But earlier you said you needed a cook on your ship," Zeff recalled. "What're ya trying to say? That he's suddenly not good enough?"

"Oh, he's good, and I'd love it if he joined my crew," Lucy said. "But he really just wants to stay here with you guys. I refuse to force him to join me.

"So you're saying you won't take him unless he tells you himself, right?" he asked. Lucy nodded. "Though, I suppose there's no way to get him to say it himself."

"Once he makes up his mind, there's no way to talk him out of it." Suddenly, the wall was destroyed by Sanji being tackled by a weird sea thing.

"What is that?" one chef asked.

"A fish man?"

"Did he come all the way from Fish-Man Island to eat here?"

"No you dope! It's a man in a Panda Shark!" Lucy pushed her way to see it.

"Yosaku!" she exclaimed.

"Oh...hey...Little Sis Lucy..."

"Where are the others? Did you find Nami?" The chefs offered him a blanket and a chair. He took them politely.

"We never actually caught up with her, but by the direction she's heading, we think we figured out where she's going and what she plans to do," Yosaku explained.

"I see," Lucy said. "Then we can bring her back!"

"Maybe," Yosaku said. "It's just...if our suspicions are true, then the place she intends to go means certain death for _all_ of us if we follow her. The point is we really need your help, Little Sis Lucy. Please, come with me!" he begged.

"Okay," Lucy said. "I don't get why it's so dangerous, but I got it. Let's go." They got up and started to leave.

"Wait," Sanji said. "Your dream is foolish, but so is mine. I'll go with you, to look for the All Blue."

"Sanji..." Lucy muttered.

"I'll join your crew." Lucy blinked. "You hear me? I want to be the chef for your crew. Alright? What do ya say?"

"Of course!" she said. She hugged. Sanji. Sanji instantly melted.

"Lucy-chwan!" Lucy looked at him.

"Oh, could you not put an honorific after my name?" Lucy asked.

"Of course, Lucy!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

"You guys happy now?" Sanji asked. "Really, I'll leave now."

"Hmph! I wanted to kick you out myself, but it seems you're okay with abandoning us!" Patty said.

"Well I'm sorry I made you resort to bad acting," Sanji said.

"Hey, wait! How'd you know?" Patty asked.

"I heard everything, you jerks," Sanji said.

"What!".

"Was stomping on my pride the best plan you could come up with? You damn geezer," Sanji said.

"You bastard! Every little thing has to be a fight with you! I'm sick and tired of it! Bring it on...!" Patty was cut off by Zeff putting his arm in front of him.

"I hate children. In fact, I've always hated children. There was never a day I didn't regret letting a brat like you live, Sanji."

"Fine by me, you damn geezer. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life," Sanji retorted.

~.~

"Whoa, this is a pretty awesome ship!" Yosaku said, inspecting it. "Are you sure it's okay for us to use it?"

"Of course. It's Sanji's ship," the chef responded.

~.~

"You still need _more_ food?" the chef asked.

"Yup. Need more meat," she responded.

"Alright, but just how long are you gonna be out at sea?" the other chef asked.

"Dunno," Lucy responded.

"Girl," Zeff said. Lucy turned to him. "This is my log book from when I went out to sea," he explained. "Would you like to take it?"

"Nah," Lucy said.

"I figured," Zeff smirked. He walked away.

~.~

"Big Bro Cook sure is taking his time," Yosaku said.

"Yeah," Lucy said. Just then, Sanji came out, his stuff packed.

"Now it's payback time!" Patty exclaimed.

"Here it comes, Sanji!" Carne yelled. They both jumped at him, and Sanji simply kicked them.

"Really guys, that was just dumb," Sanji said, continuing to the ship. "Let's get going," he said.

"You're not saying goodbye?" Lucy asked.

"No, it's fine."

"Sanji. Take care of yourself, okay?" There was a pause. Tears started coming down Sanji's cheeks. Then it changed to pouring. The memories rampaged into his mind like a bitch.

"ZEFF!" he yelled, bowing at him. "Thank you, geezer! Thank you for your kindness! I'll never forget you! So thank you!" The tears poured. Zeff smiled and tears came down his cheeks too. The other chefs started crying.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Patty yelled as the waterworks came. Sanji looked up in surprise.

"I'll miss you so much!" Patty yelled.

"I'll miss you too!" Carne agreed.

"Damn wusses," Zeff said, wiping away his tears. "Real men should part without a word let alone tears."

"Let's go! Set sail!" Lucy yelled.

"I will see you again!" Sanji yelled. "I'll come back someday!"

~.~

**Aw, touching :'D. Bye bye Baratie! How'd you like it? Hate it? Tell me! Remember to R&R, and enjoy the weekend! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_  
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_"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends."_

_-Richard Bach  
><em>


	25. Welcome to Arlong Park!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello my viewers! Welcome to chapter 25!**

**Disclaimer: I doesn't ownz One Piece! x3**

_**Chapter**** 25: Welcome to Arlong Park!**_

What a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the sun was out. Fish danced as they jumped into and out of the ocean. Sea gulls flew along the sky with ease. Along this beautiful site of the sea, Sanji's boat sailed.

"So," Lucy said. "Are we getting close to where Nami is?"

"You're so naive," Yosaku said. "Don't you realize that with every second that passes, we're getting closer to the infamous Arlong?" he sighed. "Nami couldn't stop looking at his picture when she saw it. Except, it wasn't a normal kind of stare. There was something different from the way she was staring; she seemed really focused!" He smacked his hand on his knee, "I'm telling you Nami is trying to take Arlong down and collect his bounty! For all we know, she could be making her way into his compound!" Lucy yawned.

"That's nice; now let's eat!"

"Sounds good."

Yosaku screamed out in fear and frustration, "Don't tell me neither of you have heard of the infamous Arlong!"

"Uh no, so who is he?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah!" Lucy agreed. Yosaku sweat-dropped. He blew his whistle.

"Listen up, guys! Time for you to learn of the cunning shark known as the infamous Arlong!" he began walking about as if he was a marine giving orders. "Arlong is a fish-man who used to destroy anything in his path up and down the Grand Line.

"Fish-man?" Sanji said.

"Sounds cool," Lucy said. "Never seen one of those before."

"I've heard the females of Fish-Man Island are one of the most beautiful creatures in the world to behold," Sanji said dreamily. _'Oh, if only Lucy was a mermaid,'_ he thought, imagining Lucy as a mermaid with a red tail. He had a small nosebleed just imagining it.

"I'll start from the beginning," Yosaku said, sitting back down. "Okay, the reason they call the Grand Line a pirate graveyard are because of Arlong and the other two powers that run over it.

"The first of the powers is known as the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The Seven Warlords are pirates authorized by the government."

"Seriously?" Sanji said. "Why would any pirate of the sea want the government's approval?"

"For protection," Yosaku said. "The government looks the other way in exchange for a cut of their treasure. Of course, to other pirates, they're just the government's dogs, but they didn't get to such a position with puppy eyes. These guys are massively powerful!

"The man who defeated Zoro was one of these warlords. His name is Hawk-Eye Mihawk!"

"They sound so cool," Lucy said. You could see a small twinkle in her eyes, "I can't wait to meet each of them!"

"Yeah, well, the first one you should know about is Jimbei, captain of the fish-men. He's more dangerous than everyone you know combined! He causes just as much havoc and disasters on the Grand Line as Arlong!

"Arlong has taken control of over twenty towns on the East Blue! His strength easily surpasses the other pirates you've seen, including Don Krieg! He's devastating!"

"So why do you think Nami would go after this guy by herself, huh?" Sanji asked.

"I told you already!" he said. "She wants to collect the bounty on his head!"

"Oh, I'd give anything to see you and Nami as mermaids!" Sanji said dreamily to Lucy. Lucy merely blinked at him.

"Have either of you even heard a word I said?"

"Yup," Lucy said. "Badass fish-men doing something or other. We get it."

Yosaku sighed, "No, you _don't_ get it. You've never actually had to face a fish-man."

"Well, uh, we will when we get there, so don't worry about it," Lucy said.

Sanji stood up. "How about I start on lunch?" he proposed.

Lucy grinned, "'Bout time! Let's eat!"

Sanji took off his jacket and rolled up his shirt's sleeves.

"I want meat and strawberries!" Lucy said.

"That's an...interesting combination," Sanji said.

"I want green beans!" Yosaku yelled.

"Leave it to me," Sanji said. "This won't take long." Lucy grinned, but it was short since it was cut off by a coughing attack. A chill ran down her back.

_'I don't have much time,' _she thought. _'The die I'll either die or be at Atsuke's mercy is nearing. Because of my little stunts at the Baratie, it'll be a little sooner then I had hoped.'_

~.~

"Alright, we're here," Johnny said, staying under the side of the boat. "That's Arlong Park."

"Arlong Park, huh?" Usopp said, also hiding. "The hideout of the Fish-Man Pirates from the Grand Line? I hope Nami's really here!"

"Big Sis Nami's ship was the Going Merry, so before we do anything stupid, we should quietly check to see if it's docked on this island...!"

Zoro slammed his katana on the wood of the ship, standing up, "Let's attack." Johny and Usopp's eyes practically fell out of their heads. Zoro sweat-dropped.

"I just said we shouldn't do anything stupid!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Attack!" Usopp yelled. "You idiot; we know absolutely nothing about this place!"

"Yeah, these guys are the fish-men!" Johnny agreed.

"We need some kind of plan before doing something as crazy as that!" Usopp concluded.

"While you guys are cowarding in this ship, I'm thinking about the battle we're gonna face. Lucy told me to bring her back, and I'll do just that!" Zoro said, facing the island. Johnny and Usopp exchanged nervous glances.

"Let's go!" Zoro exclaimed. Usopp and Johnny whacked him in the head with hammers, knocking him out.

~.~

"There it is!" Usopp said, looking through binoculars. "That's the Going Merry!"

"Then we just have to find her," Johnny said, looking at a map of the island.

"What do you dumbasses thing you're doing?" Zoro yelled. Poor thing; he was tied up. :'( "Untie me, you idiots! Do I look like the enemy?"

Johnny didn't pay attention; he was too focused from the map. "We're east of Arlong Park, here at Cocoyashi Village, but it's strange; why would she stop so far from the village?"

"Untie me, DAMN IT!" Zoro yelled.

"Zoro," Usopp said. "You're in way too bad shape to be of help when we get to shore." He put his hand on Zoro, causing him to struggle more. "Just sit back here and relax," he said, laughing. "It's okay; you can help next time!"

_'One of these days I'll cut these bastards to pieces!' _Zoro thought, extremely frustrated.

"Don't worry; I'll save Nami!" Usopp cheered.

"Gee, skipping Arlong Park really cheered you up," Johnny muttered. Usopp laughed.

"Prepare the anchor! Bring us alongside the Going Merry!"

"Aye!" Usopp looked around and saw multiple fish-men conversing on the docks. Usopp immediately crawled away. "What is it?" Johnny asked, crouching beside him. "What'd you see?" He nervously pointed a finger at the dock.

"Fish-men!" they whispered in fear.

"Full speed ahead."

"Right."

"WHY DIDN'T WE JUST DOCK RIGHT THERE!"

"SHH!" Usopp and Johnny chorused.

Usopp pointed at Zoro rudely, "Didn't you see that? There were three fish-men over there! It's Arlong's crew! We can't stop there right now!"

"DO NOT YELL AT ME!" Zoro yelled, kicking his feet on Usopp's face. _'Lucy, I'm definitely cutting them to pieces to make into barbeque!'_

"If there are fish-men here, then the whole surrounding area must be under Arlong's control!" Johnny concluded. "What now?"

Usopp sighed, "We could just say we couldn't find her!"

"UNTIE ME NOW, SHITHEADS!" When they heard a splash, they turned to see two of the fish-men jumped into the sea. Usopp and Johnny's eyes looked as if they were gonna pop out.

"Let's run!"

"Good idea!" With that, Usopp and Johnny jumped into sea.

"UNTIE ME, IDIOTS!" Zoro seethed. The fish-men climbed aboard.

"There's just this one guy?" one asked.

"Maybe he just drifted here," the other suggested.

"Yeah, right," Zoro said, straining a smile as you could see the frustration in his eyes and twitching eyebrows. _'I'm definitely killing them, Lucy. I'm killing them.'_

"Maybe someone just wanted him to die real slowly," he said, offering another suggestion.

"Let's take him to Arlong."

~.~

Lucy couldn't stop coughing; eventually it went from coughing up nothing to coughing up blood. Yosaku made her sit down. When Sanji came out with the food, he practically dropped it before setting it down and rushing to Lucy.

"Lucy?" he asked. "What's wrong? Why're you having a coughing fit?"

"I'm f-*cough cough* f-fine *cough cough cough cough*" Except she wasn't fine, and she knew. The darkness was eating away at her, and it was taking its toll both inside and outside. When she tried to stand up, she nearly collapsed, luckily Sanji helped her up. When her coughing fit was finally over, he looked at her hand. He stared at it.

"You were coughing up blood?" Sanji asked. Lucy didn't respond; she simply hid her face with her bangs.

"I'm fine," she whispered. "Let's eat."

~.~

As they ate, Lucy wasn't acting normal, and Sanji took note of it. She wasn't wasting the food; however, she seemed to be poking around with it, as if she lost some of her apetite.

_'Can't really blame_ _her,'_ Sanji thought. _'I don't really think I'd eat after coughing the amount of blood she had on her hands. I'm just surprised she's eating at all.'_

He also took note how she saved her strawberries for last, and how she refused to share them. Once she finished everything up to the strawberries, it looked as if her eyes brightened. She ate it slow, unlike the rest of the food. It was as if she was savoring it, like she was in another world with the strawberries in her mouth. When she finished the first strawberry, a large grin plastered her face; one a little kid would get when they felt succeeded. The look on her face when she'd eat strawberries was very infantile indeed; but in a good way.

_'I'm glad I could get her to cheer up a little,'_ he thought, smiling inwardly. Unfortunately, none of them noticed a large, big creature swimming toward them.

~.~

"Open the gate!" the fish-man said. "We have a prisoner aboard this ship!"

~.~

"I'll ask you one more time," the shady pirate Arlong said. "What was your purpose in coming here?"

"As I said before, I'm looking for a girl, you half-fish bastard!" Zoro said, pissed. He heard one of the fish-men whisper to another, "Aren't we all." After that, the other snickered. _'Pfft,' _Zoro thought. _'As if I'd be interested in Nami. I'll admit it, I'm crushing on Lucy, but she's way to dense to notice.'_

Arlong smirked, "Wow. For someone I consider a good meal, you're either really stupid or have a lot of guts in there.

"We fish-men simply are the next up on the evolutionary ladder from you pathetic humans. We are incredibly resilient. We can breathe both in air and water; a trait that shows the obvious physical difference between us two races. I'm not sure if this will make sense for the shrimp of a brain rolling about in your head, but the fish-men are the lords of all creatures, and anyone against us is to defy nature," Arlong concluded. Footsteps could be heard.

"I'm really sick of listening to your big ideas, Arlong," a familiar bitter voice said, rising from the shadows. Zoro's eyes widened.

"Why are you always so serious, Nami? You know I wasn't talking about you; you are a very special human. You're our wonderful navigator, and a trusted member of this crew. You always have been," Arlong said.

"Say what you will," Nami said. "But I'm a lot smarter than the lot of you. That's for sure."

"Why did he call you his navigator, Nami?" Zoro said through his clenched teeth. "You can't honestly expect me to believe you work for him?"

"Hold on," Arlong said. "Is this guy a friend of yours, Nami?"

"Don't say something so ridiculous," Nami said. She began walking up to Zoro, "This is just another fool who thought I _wasn't_ going to steal of his treasure right up from under his nose." She croutched in front of him, "To think he actually followed me here without knowing that goes to show how stupid he is."

"So you finally show your true colors, Nami," Zoro said. The seriousness written on his face was scary. "This whole time I thought you actually hated pirates."

"It was all an act," she said. "You just falled for the show." She showed him her arm.

"Thats...!" he stared at it. He looked up at the flag. He was right. They matched perfectly.

"I'm a pirate; plain and simple," she stood up with her arms crossed and a smirk lined perfectly on her face. "And a navigator for Arlong."

Zoro gave her a death glare. If looks could kill, she would've been burnt to a crisp.

~.~

**And with that starts Arlong Park! Sorry I couldn't update yesterday. I visited my grandma for Mother's Day and when we got home, two of the computers were having internet problems and my sister wouldn't let me get on her computer. :( Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**supersaiyan3goku**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**Night-Shadow56**_

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_**ComicGeek**_

_"Deceit is the game of petty spirits, and that is by nature a woman's quality."_

_-Pierre Corneille_


	26. Momoo and Nami's Coldness!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello my children :3 Here's chapter 26! By the way, I don't know what gender Momoo is, so I'm going with boy.**

**Disclaimer: I think you get the point by now I DON'T own One Piece...**

_**Chapter**_** 26: Momoo and Nami's Coldness!**

Lucy continued eating her strawberries, when she saw Yosaku grab a strawberry.

"What do you think you're doing!" Lucy yelled. "Give me my strawberry back!"

"No!" he said. "The strawberries are for everyone!"

"_**Yosaku**..._" Sanji said creepily. "_**Give Lucy her strawberry**..._!"

Yosaku jumped and the strawberry slipped out of his hands, only for Lucy to catch it and bite into it slowly.

"Honestly," she said. "You really don't know how to savor a good strawberry!" Yosaku started complaining, only to be shushed by Sanji.

"I hear something..." Sanji said. He was right. You could hear _moos _coming from under the ship. "...There's something down there. And it's big." Lucy kept a straight face, still savoring her strawberry. Yosaku gave a face of fear and cowardice. Water began to rise and then fall back down as a figure immerged from the water.

"The hell is that?" Lucy asked. Yosaku let out a girlish scream. Sanji merely blinked at it. For out of the water, a giant sea king immerged.

"Cow?" Lucy immediately said, referring to its looks.

"Can't be a cow," Sanji said, blowing out the smoke of his cigarette. "Cows can't swim...a hippo maybe?"

"Whatever it is," Yosaku panicked. "You can tell it's from the Grand Line! What's it doing all the way out here in the East Blue?" The cow went and stared at the ship.

"Why's he staring at us?" Lucy asked.

"He wants the food!" Yosaku exclaimed, pointing to the meat.

"You want meat, boy?" Lucy asked, her kind voice reaching a soft tone. She took the main dish of food and held it up to him. He opened his mouth and she fed it to him. Momoo instantly tamed. Lucy patted it. That's when Lucy came up with an idea.

"Mr. Cow-Fish, can you take us to Arlong Park?" Lucy asked. Momoo nodded vigorously and Sanji and Yosaku tied with the boat so he could escort them.

~.~

"I guess you finally get it," Nami said. "I just used you all so I could get what I wanted. You were skilled enough to serve my needs, but boy, were you guys easy to fool." Arlong laughed.

"Oh, she had you guys completely fooled!" Arlong said. "It's no use. She's cold-blooded. She betrayed her family for money, so you really shouldn't feel too bad." Nami got a disturbed face, and Zoro made sure to note it. It was as if she got disturbed when he said she betrayed her family. Arlong, not noticed this, continued, "You should just admit defeat. Just forget you met her."

"I don't need to," Zoro said. Nami looked at him, surprised. "Because I never saw anything in her to trust in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being a serial killer."

"Fine," Nami said. "Then why don't you just get the hell out of here? I'm starting to get tired of you!" Zoro smirked. Despite his whole upper half and ankles being tied, he managed to throw himself into the water behind him. He stayed underwater. He could hear voices, however they were muffled. He saw Nami dive in and bring him back up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nami said. Zoro coughed a bit before answering.

"No, what do you think _you're_ doing?" Zoro smirked. "You're really just a girl who can't watch a man die. Quit pretending." The words hit Nami like bullets, and you could tell by her expression. Luckily, none of the Fish-Man Pirates could see it. "You might want to be a little quicker next time; I thought I was dead."

"You bastard!" she yelled, standing up and stomping on his back. Zoro stood up. "That's a lot of bandages; someone must've gotten you good. I wish I could've seen it."

"Nope. Didn't have a shirt so I grabbed these to cover up...!" Nami responded to his retort by punching his stomach. He fell to the ground. Nami slightly panted as she walked toward Arlong.

"Actually, it's good you did that," Nami said, turning back to Zoro, smirking. "You can save all of that for Lucy." Zoro glared at her.

"Tell me," Arlong said. "What should we do with him?"

"Lock him up," Nami responded. "I'll deal with him when I have the time."

"Arlong!" a fish-man exclaimed as he ran toward Arlong.

"What is it?" Arlong asked.

"This man didn't come alone," he said, pointing to Zoro. "A long-nosed weird guy came with him, but he got away."

_'What the hell, Usopp? You left me for dead and got spotted, anyway?'_ he thought.

"I think he escaped into Cocoyashi Village!" the fish-man said.

"Cocoyashi, huh?" Arlong dazed. "Perfect. Now I have two reasons to go. It's time for some fun." With that, Arlong and select fish-men left for the village. The others locked Zoro up. Zoro simply sat there when he heard his door creak open. He looked up to see Nami with a pocket knife. She sliced the rope that binded him and threw down his sword. She walked to the door.

"Get out of here quick. Arlong will be back soon," Nami said simply, walking away.

~.~

"She tells me to run, but I have nowhere to go besides here," Zoro said. "Besides, I promised Lucy I'd bring her back. What's taking her so long, anyway? Things sure are getting interesting here."

**~.~**

**Ello people! How've you been? I hope you liked the chapter! Final exams for math is coming up soon. -.-' If I don't pass it, I probably won't get into Geometry next year. Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Mimi522**_

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_**angelvan105**_

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_**Comic Geek**_

_"Strawberries are the angels of the earth, innocent and sweet with green leafy  
>wings reaching heavenward."<em>

_-Terri Guillemets_


	27. Lucy's Arrival!

**Wolfy-tan: Welcome back viewers! :3 Here's chapter 27!**

**Disclaimer: I. DON'T. OWN. ONE. PIECE.**

_**Chapter**** 27: Lucy's Arrival!**_

"YEAH!" Lucy yelled, the excitement jolting through her as they speeded through the seas. "Faster! To Arlong Park!" Lucy smirked, holding her hat to keep it from blowing away from the ridiculous speed. "Nami, hang in there!"

~.~

"Ugh, what's taking so long," Zoro said impatiently, tapping his foot from impatience. Fish-men were lying about, either unconscious from either Zoro's sudden attacks or loss of blood or just lie plain dead. "You better hurry Lucy, or I might just die from boredom." That was when he heard a voice coming from just outside the walls. He sweat-dropped at the man's weird actions. Zoro walked over to where the voice was.

"Hold on, that's weird," the fish-man said, looking at Zoro.

"Sure is," Zoro said, referring to the fish-man. Suddenly realizing Zoro was human, it became serious.

"Hey, who are you? Speak up now!" he said. Then he pointed at himself with his tentacles with the legendary 'O' face. "Huh? Who, me?" he suddenly started doing poses. "Well, I'm Haachan! But my friends just call me Haachi!"

"You a fish-man too?" Zoro asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Of course of course!" he replied, showing off his tentacles. "I'm the amazing octopus fish-man! It looks to me you're just a human!"

"...Yeah."

"A marine! Or possibly a guest!"

"A guest?" Zoro looked at his doing to the fish-men. "...You could say that."

"Arlong isn't here, is he?"

"Nope. I was hoping you would know," Zoro responded, leaning back on the wall.

"Apparently there's some long-nosed guy causing havoc in Cocoyashi Village, so Arlong locked they long-nosed guy's friend here and left to go there to track the guy down."

"Is there any way I can get to Cocoyashi Village?" Zoro asked, jumping down the wall, next to Haachi. Haachi pointed to a ceramic barrel hanging on the water.

"Get in," he said. "You're a guest. Hop in; I'll take you to Cocoyashi Village..." Haachi looked at Zoro's sword. "...Swordsman." Zoro tightened his grip on the sword.

~.~

"Well, here we are! Cocoyahsi Village!" Haachi said enthusaistically as they reached ashore. "Arlong should be around here somewhere!"

"Yeah, thanks," Zoro said.

"No problem! Bye!" he said before diving in.

"That was interesting," Zoro said before running toward Cocoyashi Village. Once he reached town, he asked around before asking a man who said he encountered Usopp and how he had been taken as prisoner by Arlong's pirates. Zoro realizing just what possibilities may come when they see how Zoro killed off the fish-men who had been at Arlong Park, Zoro rushed to Arlong Park.

~.~

"There it is!" Lucy exclaimed. "Arlong Park!" Momoo, hearing Lucy's excitement, pushed himself to go faster so he could get Lucy to land. Despite how much he just wanted to rest in his cozy den, he wanted to get Lucy to the island more. So, taking the last of his energy he could muster together, he flung the ship toward the island. He sank back into the water to take a long nap at his den.

Lucy wooped as they soared through the air; Sanji and Yosaku screamed their heads off while holding on for dear life.

"It's almost like we're flying!" Lucy shouted.

"Almost!" Yosaku agreed.

"We _are_ flying!" Sanji yelled.

"No..." Yosaku realized. "We're _falling_!" Yosaku yelled as the ship skidded through the forest.

"Landing successful!" Lucy yelled, a grin appearing as they speeded through the forest. Lucy's face dropped when she saw a figure standing in front of the ship, but the grin immediately reappeared when she recognized the face. "Zoro!" Lucy yelled. His face collided with the front of the ship, but Lucy helped him up to the deck just before the ship wrecked into the side of the cliff. When the smoke cleared, Zoro saw he was on top of Lucy. On top. His head resembled a red tomato whose "leaves" were too light green. Lucy also sported a pink blush realizing the situation. Zoro immediately stood up and offered a hand to Lucy, which she gratefully accepted. They both avoided eye contact while Sanji sent Zoro a death glare. Soon it turned into a glare contest.

"Oh, yeah where's Usopp and Johnny? Did you find Nami yet?" Lucy asked.

"Usopp..." realization hit Zoro in the face. "Crap! Come on, we gotta hurry!"

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. When they looked at each other in the eyes. They both blushed and looked away.

"That dumbass got caught by Arlong!" Zoro said, still not looking Lucy in the eye. "We have to hurry before they kill him!"

"You're too late."

Everyone turned around to see Johnny.

"Big Sis Nami...killed Big Bro Usopp!" Johnny said.

"You can't be serious!" Yosaku said.

"It's true," Johnny said, sitting down. "She was a traitor all along. She was earning Arlong's trust all along so she could have the treasure for herself. That woman is just a cold-blooded killer! She won't stop until she gets what she wants. She's been fooling us...!"

"Stop it!" Lucy said, grabbing Johnny by the collar. "Say another word and you'll regret it!"

"Easy, Lucy," Zoro said. "This has nothing to do with Johnny." Lucy suddenly released Johnny and backed up, coughing violently in her arm.

"Not again," Sanji murmured. He was starting to get worried. This was the second coughing fit she had all day. Zoro raised his brow at Sanji's comment, but he was also worried. It seemed unlikely Lucy would get sick, and Zoro had a strong feeling that said Lucy wasn't sick, but he didn't know why.

"Believe what you want, but I know what I saw!" Johnny exclaimed. "Nami killed Big Bro Usopp!"

"Shut up!" Lucy yelled. She started coughing again. "Nami *cough cough cough* w-would *cough cough* n-n *cough* -ever *cough cough* k-kill *cough cough cough* Usopp!" Lucy fell to her knees. Her coughing refused to stop. Zoro's eyes widened when he saw large amounts of blood being coughed up. Lucy was shaking violently. It felt like an eternity before her coughing fit stopped, and Zoro had to keep her from falling when she stood up. She sent a death glare that sent a million chills down Johnny's spine. "Nami would never do that to her friends!"

"B-But I saw it!" Johnny yelled.

"What was that about friends, Lucy?"

Everyone turned around to see !Nami.

"Nami!" Lucy said.

"What're you doing here?" Nami spat.

"What're we doing here?" Lucy repeated. "We came to get you, of course."

"What a pest!" Nami said. Lucy gave her a confused look.

"Friends, huh?" Nami said. "Don't make me laugh."

"Damn you!" Johnny said. He pointed at her, "You killed him! Because of you, Big Bro Usopp is dead!"

"Yup, that's right," Nami smirked. "So why don't you kill me and get your revenge?" Johnny paused for a moment. "Get your facts straight," Nami said. "Because of your 'friend', Arlong is planning on killing Zoro along with his entire crew; and I don't care how strong you guys think you are, but you guys are no match for Arlong. I promise that if you stay on this island, you. Will. Die. So you have a choice to make: life or death?" Zoro growled slightly. Sanji wore a kiddish blush.

"Her heartless face is so hot!" Sanji said. Hearts filled his eyes, "Hey, Nami! Let's run away together!"

"Can it Romeo," Zoro said, slightly pissed by how he was unaffected by the mood. "This is NOT the time or place for that now!"

"Excuse me, love is like a hurricane, so back off...!" Sanji realized Zoro wasn't even looking at him. "Hey! Look at me when I'm talking!"

"Nami where is Usopp," Zoro demanded more than asked. He knew just how pissed and/or depressed Lucy would be if she lost one of her nakama.

"With the fishes," Nami said slyly.

"Damn it, cut the crap!" Zoro said, reaching for his sword. Sanji swung his leg at Zoro. Zoro, of course, dodged it.

"How sad," he said. "A swordsman striking a lady."

"You idiot; do you not see what's happening here? You're really pissing me off!"

Sanji chuckled, "If someone stopped me so easily, I'd be pissed too." That did it. Zoro was PISSED with a capital EVERYTHING.

"You should watch your mouth," Zoro said between his clenched teeth.

"I'll say whatever I want, bastard!" Sanji retorted. Yosaku ran to them.

"Big Bros! Now isn't the time to fight. Lucy gently touched Zoro's shoulder in attempt to comfort him. He was immediately relaxed by her touch. He looked Lucy in the eye but didn't flush this time. He read the worry in her eyes so he stopped.

"Your friend is right," Nami said, agreeing with Yosaku. "Quit your bickering and leave while you can. Outsiders have no right to but in this island's affairs!" She began to turn around. "Get it through your thick skulls! I only tagged along with you guys so I could get your Berris! But now that your broke, you're useless to me, so leave and find some navigator stupid enough to join you. Go on. Just leave; you're all eyesores!" Everyone stayed silent, either speechless or holding a complete cuss attack (Zoro). However, Lucy was different. Her big black eyes flickered understanding in them.

"Nami..." Lucy said. She fell back. "Sleepy." she closed her eyes and tucked her arms behind her head.

"Sleep?" Yosaku said.

"At a time like this?" Johnny chimed in. "And in the middle of the road?" Lucy yawned.

"Well I'm tired and I'm really not interested in butting into the island's affairs," she said. "But I'm not leaving, either. 'Night." Yosaku's jaw dropped.

"Little Sis?" Johnny said. Zoro put his palm to his forehead in frustration for the she-captain. Despite the fact that Lucy didn't snore, you could tell she fell asleep by her evened breathing.

"Whatever!" Nami outbursted. She turned and ran, "Just go and die in a hole!"

"Come on, Little Sis!" Yosaku said.

"Now that we know about Nami, there's no reason to stay on this island!" Johnny said.

"My reason is there," Zoro said, looking at Lucy. "I'm staying because she's staying."

"Don't be stupid, Big Bro Zoro," Yosaku said. "Are you saying you want to bring back Nami too?"

"I have nothing to do with this," Zoro said. "I don't decide who the navigator is. She does."

"Big Bro..." Johnny said. He looked at Zoro, and saw there was more. Not only was she his captain; she was also his crush...no, it more than that. Johnny could tell just by looking at Zoro. "I understand; you're not leaving. Sorry to cut our reunion short, but I'm not staying here any longer."

"I'm with him," Yosaku said. "I don't wanna deliberately get myself killed!"

"Fine," Zoro said. "See you around." With that, they said their goodbyes as Yosaku and Johnny left.

"Hey," Sanji said to Zoro. "What do you think it is? Why was Nami crying?"

"She was crying?" Zoro asked, but you could tell by his voice he wasn't interested.

"In her heart."

"Tch. If she was, then those tears were out of guilt for killing Usopp."

"Are you serious? You really are dense."

"Hm?"

"Do you honestly still believe Nami could kill Usopp?"

"So Nami didn't kill him? Is that what you're saying?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, who knows? She always seemed like a small time girl who could never hurt someone."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY? NAMI ISN'T SMALL TIME!" Sanji prepared his kick.

"ALL YOU EVER THINK ABOUT IS GIRLS.

..!" As Zoro put his sword to block, Usopp suddenly appeared in the middle of their attacks.

"He's alive?" Sanji asked.

"Well...he was...he might not be now..." Zoro responded. Lucy started to stir. _'Oops, I guess we woke her up.'_ Lucy's eyes immediately saw Usopp.

"Usopp, are you okay?" Lucy asked, putting his head upon her lap. Zoro couldn't help but feel jealous of Usopp.

"Lucy...you're here now!" Usopp said. Lucy giggled before nodding.

"I'm here too!" Sanji said sarcastically.

"One of these days, I'll...!" Usopp was cut off by Sanji.

"Seems you made a full recovery," Sanji said, but you could tell what he was really saying was "Don't you dare exploit Lucy's kindness for attention or I'll skin you alive" Zoro sent Usopp a glare that said the exact same thing.

"By the way, we kind of heard you were dead by Nami," Zoro said.

"Stupid Johnny!" Lucy said. "He was spouting nonsense the entire time!"

"Well," Usopp muttered. "In a way...it is the truth." This spiked everyone's interest. "I'm alive because she actually saved my life." Usopp explained what happened when he was at Arlongs. "And that was how she tricked Arlong into thinking I was dead," he concluded. "It seems to me she has some kind of hidden motive for being with those fish-men."

"Obviously," Sanji retorted.

"So what now?" Zoro asked. "We destroy Arlong Park?"

"Wait just a second!" Usopp said. "Don't you think we should figure out what's going on first?"

"It's no use either way."

Everyone turned to see a chick with tatoos. "No matter what you do, nothing you do will stop Arlong from ruling this island."

"Nojiko," Usopp said.

"Who's she?" Lucy asked.

"Nami's older sister," Usopp said. Sanji's eyes immediately turned to hearts.

"Nami's sister! No wonder she's so hot!" he exclaimed.

"So why is it no use?" Zoro asked.

"Just trust me," Nojiko said. "Don't get yourself involved with what's going on here, and leave poor Nami alone. I'll explain the situation."

"The situation?" Zoro asked.

"You mean you can tell us why she's with Arlong's crew?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And if that won't get you to leave, I don't know what will!"

"'Kay, so tell us all about it," Usopp said. "I'll admit I'm curious."

"Not interested," Lucy said, walking away. "I'll pass."

"Wait...!" Usopp said.

"I don't care about her past," she said.

"Where are you going, Lucy?" Sanji asked.

"A walk," she responded.

"A walk?" Usopp exclaimed. "You mean you're not gonna listen to this?"

"Nope."

"Who's she?" Nojiko asked.

"Don't mind her; that's just how our captain is," Zoro said, sitting under one of the trees.

"I thought you were the captain," Nojiko said sternly to Usopp. He broke out into a million sweats.

"Nope, just the crew's top liar," Sanji said.

"I'll hear you out, but it won't make much of a difference," Zoro said.

"Me too; I want to make sense out of what's going on!" Usopp said.

"I want to know everything about Nami!" Sanji said with and ero-smile on his face. They heard Zoro snoring.

"Now he's asleep," Nojiko said.

"HEY!" Usopp yelled. "You said you'd hear her out!"

"I see," Nojiko sighed. "This is why it was hard for her."

~.~

**The end! So far...DUN DUN DUN Anyway, sorry it took so long to upload, I tried to make up for the last chapter which was short. I finally found out the exact date of the exams and it's in two weeks! I hope it'll be as easy as the test we took today on factoring, but I highly doubt it -.-' I thank you all who wished me good luck on the exam! :'D Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Questions about what is going on? Review! Want to say your strong opinion? Review! Just want your name to be put under here? Review! It's always fun reading reviews, so go and review for whatever reason! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**LazyFoxLover**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**Night-Shadow56**_

_**zofie15**_

_"A person who deserves my loyalty receives it."_

_-Joice Maynard_


	28. The Walk to Arlong Park!

**Wolfy-tan: Ello mate! Chapter 28 is up! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece! D:**

_**Chapter 28: The Walk to Arlong Park! Lucy's Condition Starts to Worsen!**_

Lucy silently walked along the path. She wouldn't get involved if Nami didn't want her to. It was as simple as that. However, Lucy also wanted Nami to come with them, so she stubbornly refused to leave the island. Now she walked along, trying to focus on other, also important, things. Like, how if Phelemor would get so out of hand that she'd have to either kill herself or make one of her crew do it. Either way, she wouldn't let Atsuke have his way. Lucy was a major factor in his plan; and if there was a slip-up in that plan, such as Lucy's death, then it would be impossible for him to execute his plan; however, Lucy also doesn't want to break her promise to Shanks, so she was torn between if she should live or die. She mulled it over with her head down until she ran into something. Something extremely buff and didn't fidget in any form when Lucy ran into it. She looked up to see two suspicious looking fish dudes.

"Sorry," she said blankly and continued walking with no sign of fear or intimidation.

"Hey, you there! Wait!" the octopus one shouted. Lucy halted and turned to them.

"Huh? You mean me?" Lucy asked.

"Who are you? And what are you doing on this island?" the octopus guy demanded.

"Why do you care?" she asked. She didn't say it in a rude way; she was just asking, which was natural...well, to her, at least.

"Well it's just that we...don't get many visitors..." the octopus stuttered, obviously slightly embarassed for outbursting randomly to her.

"Oh, well my name's Lucy," she said. "I'm just passing by."

"Passing through?" he said. "Well have a nice time!" Lucy tipped her hat and returned on her walk. She could feel the studying stare from the sting ray guy, as if trying to find some motive for her being on the island.

"Hey smartass, where're you going?" the fish guy with the eternally puckered mouth yelled.

"Hell if I know," Lucy responded. When she was out of sight, she sneezed. _'They must be talking about me behind my back,'_ Lucy thought. Which they were. Lucy continued walking, returning to her thoughts. _'Hopefully I will see my brothers and sister soon.'_

~.~

Zoro woke up to hear Nojiko talk.

"If you go around saying that you're her friend, they'll get suspicious, making her eight years of work for nothing! Don't make it harder than it already is," Nojiko crossed her arms. "She has to do this alone; knowing people who call her 'friend' just makes it harder!"

~.~

Lucy had just reached Cocoyashi village when she saw a man leading marines. She gasped at what she saw; that man had a pinwheel on his head! It was so cool! Lucy decided to sit down. The whole time she was wondering about the pinwheel hat. Lucy grinned.

"I just thought of a new move!"

"Doctor! Doctor!" Lucy looked over to see a commotion stir up.

"Genzo, what is it?"

"Nojiko was shot!"

"By who?"

"The marines..."

"The marines?"

Lucy got up and walked over to Nami. "Hey Nami! Is everything okay...?" Nami lifted Lucy by her vest.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?" Nami shouted. "STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!" she threw Lucy to the side and ran; anger, no...hate written all over her face. Lucy went back to sit under a tree, a sour look on her face. She started having another cough attack. It was worse than the other two she had today. _'Damn you...Atsuke...!"_

~.~

"Aaaaalright," Usopp said, holding out the 'Aw' part. "Let's go meet up with Lucy." Usopp noticed Sanji just sitting there. "Sanji, what're you doing?"

"I'm appreciating happiness."

"What're you talking about?" Usopp asked. Sanji put his cigarette in his mouth.

"Nami has had to live with more suffering than any normal person," Sanji said. He lit his cigarette. "Right now I'm creating good vibes so I can send them her way." He blew out smoke.

"I bet that's not all you're thinking about, _love cook_," Usopp said accusingly. Sanji stood up.

"I'm trying to fight for a beautiful person. Is something wrong with that?"

"That's not right at all! It's supposed to be for Nami _and_ all the villagers!"

"Yeah yeah."

Zoro grabbed his trusty katana, standing up. "Quit bickering. Let's go."

~.~

Lucy watched as Nami stabbed her tatoo. Lucy's eyes hardened; that was not the answer to her anger. Hurting yourself won't solve your problems so easily. Lucy knew. Lucy grabbed her wrist to prevent her from stabbing herself again. She watched as the blood flowed down her arm at an extremely fast pace. Nami turned to her, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Lucy..." Nami dropped the knife. The air was tense around them and neither spoke. Nami broke the ice.

"What do you want? You don't know anything about me. You don't know what this island has been through for the past eight years."

"No."

"This has nothing to do with you...!" Nami dug her fingers in the ground. "I told you to leave this place...!"

"You did. I just didn't listen."

"Go! Just go!" Nami sobbed again, knowing how stubborn the she-captain was. Lucy silently watched. She knew real tears when they were shed; Lucy shed a lot of them herself.

"Lucy...help me...!" Lucy could see the pain in her eyes, clear as day. She once wore those same eyes. Lucy didn't speak, but that didn't mean she didn't respond. She took her straw hat and placed it on Nami's head. She looked up in surprise.

"Of course," Lucy said, walking away. "That's what friends are for, after all." Lucy stopped walking suddenly, "HE'S GONNA PAY!" Once she was done, she continued walking, her three male crewmembers standing waiting for her. "Let's go."

"Right." the three said together. The tears wouldn't stop falling from Nami's widened eyes. All four walked down the path (epically). Once they reached it, the villagers were at the entrance.

"Step aside," Lucy said sternly. When they moved, Lucy punched the door, the door easily bursting to a million pieces.

"What the?" Arlong said.

"Now which one of you is Arlong?"

~.~

**DUN DUN DUN AGAIN. Heheh sorry it took so long to update and that it was short. I had to stay after school then go to church 'cause today was a holy day. Sorry 'bout that. I still have math homework to do...FAIL. xD Peace out viewers! R&R!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**feressaloveyaoi**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**Night-Shadow56**_

_**ComicGeek**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**Acolyte of the Blood Moon**_

_**zofie15**_

_**LazyFoxLover**_

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift, above all it teaches entire trust."_

_-Gertrude Jekyll_


	29. Lucy VS Arlong!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! Chapter 29 is up!**

**Disclaimer: :p I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 29: Lucy VS Arlong! Another Power of Lucy Revealed!**_

"Arlong?" Arlong questioned. The villagers watched with an eerie silence looming over them. Lucy walked into Arlong Park with a fierce determination in her eyes; eyes that screamed for justice for Nami.

"Well, that happens to be my name," he said. "What of it, girl?"

"I'm Lucy to you!" Lucy retorted. You could see just how much she wished to kick his ass.

"Lucy?" Arlong said. "And just what're you supposed to be?"

"Pirate!" Lucy growled. Three fish-mens' eyes widened at the sight of her.

"We know her!" Haachi exclaimed, his surprise evident in his voice. "That's the girl who was on a walk!" The other fish-men stepped in to cause some trouble for the girl.

"Hold it right there," One fish-man said, amused a girl thought she had a chance at defeating Arlong.

"Where do you think you're going?" Another asked, the same amusement written on his face.

"You wanna talk to the boss, you gotta talk to the boss first; get it?" A third chimed in, though not evident with his stoic face, the amusement could be easily read in his eyes. Lucy was disgusted by their amusement; was the thought that a girl could be strong _that _humorous? In frustration and hatred for the sexists_, _she bashed their heads together. "Outta the way!" Arlong eyed her and the fish-men on the sidelines gasped at her ferosity.

"So what does a pirate want with me?" Arlong asked warily. Lucy responded with her fist hitting him in the face, sending him flying into the stone wall bordering Arlong Park. Both the fish-men and the villagers watched with an amazed twinkle in their eyes. Lucy stood in a relaxed position: one foot tucked behind the other, a slouched position, and hands in her pockets. But when she looked up, you could tell if she was anything, it wasn't _relaxed._ When she looked up, her eyes were cold, and there was a hatred, a want revenge for her nakama's sake. She was showing her cold-blooded side, her strong spirited self. She could feel the power in her blood; not Phelemeon, not Phelemor. It was different. She knew exactly what it was; she was just to afraid of it. Despite that, she let it run through her, the adrenaline running through her rapidly. Her eyes flashed red. It was awakening; it was only a matter of time. She knew she couldn't hold the full truth from her nakama for much longer. They would soon become curious, suspicious.

And it scared her.

"W-Who are you?" Arlong said, snapping Lucy from her thoughts. For that, she was grateful. However, this time different thoughts nagged her mind. Thoughts of Nami, how she cried. Lucy wouldn't stand for that. She wouldn't let someone make her nakama cry with such sorrow so easily.

Because she too has cried with an overflowing sorrow.

And she refused to let anyone else cry such tears.

She remembered when she vowed to let no one see such tears run down her cheeks again; her vow was broken when Mihawk almost killed Zoro. However, Lucy renewed that vow within herself. She couldn't put herself in such a painful state. For the sake of her nakama, and for the sake of all of her loved ones, she just couldn't.

"That's for making our navigator cry!" Lucy exclaimed. Fish-men rose from the waters, all going to attack Lucy, only for a killer amount of kicks to rampage in their faces.

"Back off of my Lucy!" Sanji said. "She's way out of your league." Sanji walked to Lucy, "Are you okay, my dear Lucy?" Well, considering he wasn't completely creeped out, that must've meant the red had left her eyes. That was good.

"I'm fine, Sanji." Her voice was firm. She gave him a look that explained to him that she was going to finish Arlong. Sanji couldn't agree more. Zoro walked up and put his shoulder on Lucy. She closed her eyes, calming herself, trying to fight the immense flow of power away.

"That's great," Usopp said shakily. "I'll just be here, supervising you guys while you beat the crap out of them."

"Hey, that's the swordsman guy I was talking about!" Haachi pointed.

"Roronoa Zoro," the stingray one muttered.

"I thought so!" Haachi said. "That bastard tricked me!"

"Hey look, long-nose is here," one of the fish-men said, and they all turned to Usopp.

"WAAAH! But he's dead! We saw Nami kill him!" Haachi yelled.

"Oh he's alive," the puckered fish-man said. "Which means..."

"...That Nami was a traitor after all," the stingray fish-man finished. "Just as I suspected."

Arlong smirked. "A pirate. Of course." Arlong made himself comfortable in the broken stone he had fallen to. "It all makes sense now. You've been after Nami this whole time!" Arlong burst into hysterical laughter. "The girl is mine and I'm not giving her up!"

"A bunch of idiots like you aren't worth Arlong's time!" Haachi laughed, standing in front of them. "We know how to deal with you!" with that, Haachi began to use his mouth like a trumpet, as if signalling or calling something. Lucy couldn't help but be curious as to exactly what the hell he was doing. The earth began to tremble under them; however, Usopp was the only one who went into panic mode, naturally.

"Momoo! Rise!" Haachi yelled, and up came Momoo. Oh, Momoo. His eyes met Lucy's. Lucy grinned.

"Hi Mr. Sea Cow!" Lucy yelled up to him. Momoo lowered his head to Lucy's level so Lucy could pet him. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE sweat-dropped, aside from Sanji, of course, who had also been there to witness Momoo. The fish-men fell anime-style.

"What do you think you're doing, Momoo!" Haachi yelled. Lucy glared at him.

"He's my FWEEEEND!" Lucy exclaimed kiddishly. Arlong looked at Momoo.

"Friend? Now now, Momoo. Just do what you came to do," Arlong said, hints of threat lacing his words. Momoo's eyes changed from friendly to scared to violent in a matter of seconds. Lucy crossed her arms, noticing the change in Momoo's behavior. Momoo leaned over with an angry demenor. Fish-men rushed in to join the battle. Lucy just glared. Sanji smirked. Zoro got his katana ready. Lucy thought of a plan. Sure, it would reveal herself, but it was a plan. To Sanji's, Zoro's, and Usopp's surprise, she closed her eyes. They thought for sure she was going to do something crazy, but instead, she was somewhat enveloped in a light. She was going to reveal her ultimate power. The light was then mixed with darks and neutral colors, and something formed in her hand. It made everyone gasp.

It was a scythe.

A _scythe_.

But it wasn't the creepy scythe one would imagine. It wasn't a creepy scythe to behold. It held an elegance to it. It seemed to have its own, mixed aura to it. Despite that, everyone gasped. Her eyes opened. Her usual obsidian eyes were blood red. She no longer had any playful or happy aura she had. Her aura was black, made only of hatred, but also of justice. This was her. This was her cold-blooded self.

With one swipe of her scythe, the impact of the wind blowing was enough to knock Momoo into unconsciousness.

Arlong caught his breath. Lucy's eyes immediately caught his movement and gave him a death glare that made even Arlong sweat a bullet. She stared at him expectantly, as if judging his next move. Finally, Lucy broke their silence.

"I'm done playing around, Arlong," she said. Everyone was surprised by how coldly it rolled off her tongue. She silently made her way to Arlong. The three fish-men from before stood in front of her.

"If you want to fight Arlong, you'll have to fight us," the stingray one said. Lucy's eyes darted at him. He caught his breath from her terrifying eyes.

"Get out of the way," she ordered. Despite how intimidating she was, none budged. They launched at her.

"I thought I said..." she again swung the air with her scythe. "OUT OF THE WAY!" The air whipped at the three, and they cried out in pain. They were instantly immobilized. Her eyes turned to Arlong, who was now standing.

~.~

Zoro looked at Lucy, who seemed to be thinking of what to do with Momoo. He thought she was out of her mind when she closed her eyes. Until, that is, light seemed to emit around her. He looked at Sanji. He had a confused expression. As for Usopp, he seemed as if he was going to pee his pants from the supernatural sight. All in all, he was relatively shocked. And confused. Soon many different colors came about her rapidly. And that light joined together to create the unimaginable that left everyone, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp included, shocked. That was the exact word. Shocked. And even more confused.

A scythe?

Since when did Lucy use a weapon?

She opened her eyes, making everyone even more confused. Her eyes were no longer ones of onyx. It was replaced with a blood red. Most people looked at her with fear; after all, a scythe and intimidating red eyes that could kill with just looks didn't exactly give one a positive reputation. There was something different about Lucy herself, though. She held herself in a superior stance. One that held confidence and coldness. Bitter coldness. It gave Zoro shivers. He could see the other two reacted in a similar way. What happened next was beyond what he expected. She simply swiped the air lightly; however, a powerful gust swooped over in such accuracy t that it was scary just thinking about it. It hit Momoo dead on, and it was knocked into unconsciousness. She then turned her gaze to Arlong. It stayed in the eerie silence for what seemed to be an eternity before Lucy spoke.

"I'm done playing around, Arlong." The words came off of her tongue so easily. So smoothly. So coldly. The three fish-men from before stood in front of her. Probably not the smartest move, in his opinion.

"If you want to fight Arlong, you'll have to fight us," the stingray said. Lucy glared at them.

"Out of the way," she snarled. She gave them a major death glare, and I was surprised they didn't budge. Instead, they acted stupid and launched themselves at her.

"I thought I said...OUT OF THE WAY!" Lucy screamed, swinging her scythe at the air again, the massive wind knocking them to the ground hard. She turned to Arlong.

~.~

Much to Lucy's surprise, he smirked.

"Lucy, right?" Arlong asked. Lucy nodded, but she couldn't help but shudder, as if he was suggesting something. "So you're one of the three sole survivors of the Noliaheart Massacre?" Lucy shot her eyes at him in a full-fledged glare. His smirk only grew at her reaction.

"So you must be the one who's the Phelmiac," he said, referring to her scythe and red eyes. Lucy squinted her eyes at him. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple.

"How do you know?" she asked. Arlong's smirk grew even larger.

"I overheard it from some fish-men long ago," he said. "About ten years ago, I'd wager." Lucy's eyes widened. She could feel the memories flowing back to her. The memories of her family, both the wonderful and the painful.

"Hmph," he said. "I'd never imagine a child like you could be the destined Phelmiac! I'm just surprised you actually managed to survive while all of your family was...!"

"SHUT UP!" she yelled. She fell to her knees. Everything from that night appeared. Atsuke tormenting with her that night slithered into her mind. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking. Her eyes turned flashed red violently and her head was pounding. She just wanted it stop. She wanted everything to stop hurting so bad.

That was when she heard footsteps behind her. She heard the strong voice of her first-mate.

"I may not know what happened to Lucy that is causing her pain," Zoro said. His voice was hard. "But you should really shut the hell up! You won't torment my captain so easily without getting your ass kicked by us Mugiwaras!" Lucy was no longer shaking, nor was she recalling her past. She was looking at Zoro. Zoro grabbed her hand and pulled her up so she was standing again. She could feel her power weakening. That was how her power worked. When she was in her Phelmiac mode, emotion was what fed her power. When she was spiritually weak, like now, she loses her power. Her eyes turned black again and her scythe disappeared. She fell in Zoro's arms. Arlong kicked Zoro's back, causing him to fall over and release Lucy. Arlong grabbed her.

"I heard this Phelmiac had Devil Fruit Powers," Arlong said. Zoro's eyes widened, realizing his plan. He dropped Lucy into the waters. Zoro's eyes widened. He dashed to the water. Sanji stopped him.

"Wait!" he said. He kicked Arlong into the wall again. "Go now! I'll stall him!" Zoro nodded and dived into the ocean. He searched frantically for his captain. HIS captain. He released a breath of relief when he found her. He quickly picked her up and frantically sw am to surface. Once they got onto surface, she was unconscious. Despite being unconscious, her hand moved. Her hand grabbed Zoro's wrist in a flash. That's when he realized; she was giving her a vision, because he was no longer at Arlong Park. He was at what seemed to be nowhere.

"Zoro." Zoro looked up to see Lucy. But this Lucy was different. She wore a long red dress with a light peach layer underneath. Her hair was put up fancifully. She wore what seemed to be expensive jewelry. This was a completely different Lucy. This Lucy walked toward Zoro. Her heels silently clicked every time it made contact with the invisible floor.

"I'm unconscious right now, so I can only contact you with my spirit. Because I am unconscious, I ask you to share your strength with me." She gave a sad smile. Zoro gawked at her; she was so beautiful. What he didn't understand was what she meant.

"What're you saying, Lucy?" Zoro asked warily. Lucy knelt down next to him.

"I'm asking if you'll help me gain my consciousness so I may finish what I started," she answered. Zoro couldn't help but think how beautiful and graceful she was.

"Of course..." he said, still tranced by her beauty. She smiled. Oh, how he loved when she smiled.

"Very well. Thank you, Zoro," she said. "However, for you to lend me your strength..." she looked away. Zoro raised a brow. When he looked at her face, he was surprised to see a blush.

"What?" he asked, confused as to why she was blushing.

"Well...uhm...For you to lend me your strength, you must..." she whispered the last part, but Zoro heard it clear as day, and he could've sworn that this had to be a dream. "...kiss me." Now it was Zoro's turn to blush. Lucy looked at him in the eye, and they slowly inched toward eachother. Until finally, their lips met. Zoro was surprised by how soft her lips were. It felt like an eternity like this, and Zoro didn't want it to end. He hoped Lucy was feeling the same way. But slowly, he felt her prescence disappear, and they were back in the real world. Lucy coughed up water as she got up. Zoro helped her sit up. They looked at eachother, but they both blushed and turned away. Zoro heard her mutter, "...thanks..."

"No...problem..." he responded with matching embarrassment. Obviously, she knew what happened during their vision. She got up and looked at Arlong.

"This is your end."

~.~

**So, yeah. I kind of went completely off from their battle in the original. Even if it was spiritually and not physically, THEY FINALLY KISSED! I KINDA FEEL ACCOMPLISHED! :D Also, a new power of Lucy has been introduced! DUN DUN DUN Feel free to question me with a click of a button below if you're totally lost. Heheh. So R&R, and I'll update tomorrow. Peace out viewers! :D**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Mimi522**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**Night-Shadow56**_

_**zofie15**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**ComicGeek**_

_**LazyFoxLover**_

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_"Confession is always weakness. The grave soul keeps its own secrets, and takes its own punishment in silence."_

_-Dorothy Dix_


	30. Arlong's Reign Ends!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello people ^^ Here's chapter 30!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own One Piece :(**

_**Chapter 30: Arlong's Reign Ends! Party at Cocoyashi!**_

"This is the end," Lucy said matter-of-factly. Arlong laughed.

"Yes," he said. "This is the end..." he pounced at her. "...for you!" Lucy narrowly dodged his attempts of biting her. Lucy jumped back. Darkness surrounded her and blasted into the air. The sudden change of air direction made everyone hang on to something so they wouldn't blow away. Then it suddenly stopped. The air stopped blowing upwards, there was no darkness, but in its place red eyes and a scythe. Lucy smirked. She held her scythe with grace and ease. The sight of it again caused everyone to shiver. A large dark aura emmited from Lucy and the scythe. Arlong smirked and dove to her again. She dodged it again. Once he cornered her, but bit the pillar instead of her thanks to her great battle instincts. However, instead of his teeth breaking, the whole pillar crumbled to pieces.

"You're next," he said. He launched at her again, and his teeth bit the blade of her scythe. Everyone was surprisred to see it didn't crumble to pieces like the pillar.

"What the?" he said. Lucy's smirk widened.

"I'm the Phelmiac," she said. "And this is my special partner, Bloody Reaper. It's my special spirit weapon. Meaning, it's stronger than your jaws, Arlong." Her voice was bone-chilling. While his jaw was still upon her scythe, she kneed him in the...special place. The girls sweat-dropped and the men shivered, as if just seeing that hurt their special place. Arlong let out a cry before creating a distance between the two. Lucy giggled with the same cold expression on her face. Arlong lunged at her again. Lucy closed her eyes and put both hands on Bloody Reaper, as if holding it out.

"Phelmic Weapon Arts: Bloody Reaper Technique..." Lucy's eyes flashed open. Black swirled with her red eyes. "...Bloody Darts!" She swung Bloody Reaper in a circular fashion, and the air sharpened into small but sharp darts. She swung her scythe, and the darts raced at Arlong, and hit Arlong in multiple places, and he started bleeding horribly at every place the air darts hit. He grunted in pain. Lucy sped up to him and slashed Bloody Reaper at him, creating a large X on his chest. It, like the other wounds she left him, bled extremely ferociously. Lucy's smirk reappeared.

Arlong dove in the sea. Lucy 'hmphed', eyeing his fin carefully, before he completely submerged into the water. Suddenly realizing what he was planning to do, Lucy's eyes widened and her smirk disappeared. A sudden burst came from the sea and Lucy let out a cry. Lucy laid slightly limp; the attack had hit her leg. She heard Arlong crash into the building.

"I'm surprised you managed to dodge it enough so it'd only hit your leg," Arlong chuckled. Blood poured down Lucy's leg. "But the more you dodge, the more your hell continues." Lucy gave him a furious glare. She now had a disadvantage, considering she could only walk with a dire limitation to it. He dove at her again, and she stubbornly got out of the way, letting out a whimper from her leg. There was a large tremor from his attack. Lucy's eyes read frustration. The stone crushed under where Arlong's nose landed. A bead of sweat fell down her temple. She held onto her leg. He pounced again, hitting her waist. She whimpered again at her now bleeding side. He plunged at her again and again. Then Arlong dove into the water again. Lucy could hear Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny begging her to go and hide.

"N...No..." Lucy managed to say. She stood up, despite the pain from her leg and side. She winced at the pain, but tried to ignore it. She stretched her fingers on her left hand.

"Rubber Shield!" she said in position. Arlong shot out of the water again, and Lucy stopped his charging face with her fingers. Lucy smirked. She called Bloody Reaper again with her right hand and struck him. There was a large explosion. Arlong laid limp on the ground.

"Is he dead?" Lucy asked, her brows furrowed. "Can't be...I didn't put in enough force for him to die...!" Lucy was cut off by Arlong's attack. His eyes resembled a Sea King's when it would snap. Lucy dodged it, the attack instead hitting the wall. From the wall, Arlong pulled out a nasty looking weapon. Lucy called her trusty scythe.

"What is that?" Lucy murmured to herself. It wasn't a sword, exactly...but it sure did look deadly. Oh! It was a saw! That's it! Fine, this would be a battle of deadly weaponry. Arlong swung Shark Saw at Lucy, and she blocked it with Bloody Reaper. The force of both attacks caused the building to split. Arlong swung again, and Lucy fell through the window. There was glass stuck in her everywhere. Blood trickled everywhere.

"You can no longer escape," the crazed Arlong said. "This is the top floor of Arlong Park. Looks like your final moment is finally here. Lucy panted. She was starting to get dizzy from the loss of blood. Her powers were beginning to go back to normal; her eyes were going back and forth from red to black to red. Lucy looked around.

"What...is this room?" Lucy asked. "It's full...of charts."

"These aren't ordinairy charts," Arlong said. "I made that woman make these sea charts."

"Nami's room..." Lucy said.

"Nami drew all of these. Aren't they great? They're my treasure, one that I made her draw for eight years. To us, getting data about the ocean is simple, but creating sea charts on it is a completely different story. That's why we need a navigator, and that's why I had my eye on that woman. She draws extremely accurate sea charts..." As he continued ranting, Lucy looked around. She looked at the desk.

"...Nami is our nakama." Arlong said.

"Nakama?" Lucy asked.

"So don't but in anymore, Phelmiac!" Arlong said. Lucy's eyes furrowed, her eyes emitting an even colder look through them.

"What's with the face?" Arlong asked, his Shark Saw pointing at him.

"Nami is our navigator!" Lucy yelled.

"Oh really?" Arlong asked. "That would just be a complete waste of her talent." Lucy turned her attention to the desk. There was a pen with blood on it about to roll off. Lucy's eyes filled with hatred. Blocking out Arlong, Lucy picked up the pen and stared at it.

"This pen is stained with blood," Lucy said. Now she was pissed. She wanted to kill him. KILL him. Arlong put his Shark Saw so that Lucy's head was between two of the blades.

"Nami will continue drawing sea charts for us. Just face it, no one could use her to her full potiential like us!," Arlong said. Lucy set the pen down. She put her hand on the blade in front of her. Arlong tried to move his Shark Saw, but it wouldn't budge. His smirk disappeared. Lucy clenched her teeth and broke the blade. Lucy looked up.

"Use her?" Lucy's feeling was clear with her facial expression; she wasn't just pissed anymore. She felt downright murderous. "Just what do you take her for?"

"Nami will forever be my tool; no, she'll forever be my friend." Arlong's devilish laugh filled the air. Lucy kicked the desk with lightning speed. Arlong's smirk disappeared. It crashed to the outside in a flash. Lucy kicked one of the bookcases with matching speed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Arlong demanded. "Stop it now!" He swung Shark Saw, only for Lucy to dodge it and cut a stack of sea charts. With him distracted, Lucy kicked another stack out. Arlong grabbed and pinned her to the wall by her neck. She punched the wall.

"Now you've gone too far!" Arlong yelled, biting Lucy's neck. Lucy whimpered in pain, but managed to grab Arlong's nose.

"I may not know the difference between our species and how talented she is, but..." Lucy said. "...I finally know how to save her!" With that, she broke his nose. He let go of her and held his nose in pain. Lucy's face was scary. It was filled with rage. The only way to save her was to tear the whole place apart, and that's what she planned to do.

"Phelmic Weapon Arts: Bloody Reaper Technique..." she shut her eyes and stomped her scythe on the ground. "...Bloody Storm!" Red clouds began to gather in the sky. They condensed and surrounded the building of Arlong Park. They crashed the whole building, crushing everything in it, including Arlong and excluding Lucy, to the ground. When the clouds disappeared, Arlong was lying on the ground with wood and broken stone piled atop him. Lucy sat down and panted, her eyes turned from red back to its regular black and Bloody Reaper disappeared. Soon, the entirety of Arlong collapsed. Lucy pulled herself from the debri and stood up.

"NAMI!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. She looked straight at her. "YOU ARE MY NAKAMA!" Nami nodded, tears rolling down her eyes. It took a few moments for everyone to register that Lucy beat Arlong. Once it did sink in, everyone cheered. The villagers lifted her and threw her in the air as they chanted her name. Once the villagers missed and she fell to the ground. She grinned.

"That was awesome!" she said. She felt her hat on her head and looked to see Nami. Lucy stood up and they high-fived. The four: Sanji, Usopp, Nami and Lucy all smiled.

"Hold it right there." Everyone turned to see a mouse-looking marine and subordinates.

"I congratulate your win, and I'll be taking all the treasure of Arlong Park...!" the mouse marine was caught off by Zoro grabbing him by the collar.

"Don't rain on their parade. That's rude." A black eye, bleeding side of the head, a bump on top of the head and some missing teeth later, all the marines were wiped out. The mouse was muttering something, but no one really cared.

"He's still talking?" Sanji asked, annoyed. Nami walked up to the mouse marine.

"This is for shooting Nojiko and mercilessly destroying Bellemere's orchard," Nami said, whacking him with her staff, causing him to fly and fall into the sea.

"Thanks Nami," Nojiko winked. "That felt good."

"A thousand more and we'll call it even!" Genzo exlaimed. The mouse marine came up and gasped for air. Nami went up to him and pulled at his whiskers.

"What you're going to do is clean up the fish-men, and clean up the town of Goza, and you won't lay a finger on the valuables in Arlong Park. It's the island's money now; got it?" the mouse marine nodded vigorously. "And there's one more thing; give me my money back, jerk!" Nami exclaimed.

"I promise, I promise! I'll give every Berri back..." he replied. The townsfolk went to every town on the island to spread the news.

~.~

It has been three days since Arlong Park fell, and at Cocoyashi Village, everyone was partying their asses of. It was night and everyone was still very lively.

"Boy am I stuffed," Sanji said, sitting across from Zoro who was drinking sake. "It's nice not to cook for once. So how're you feeling, Zoro?"

"I think I'll be alright. All I need is a little rest."

"That's good." Zoro took another swig of his sake.

"But seriously," Zoro said, looking at the partying village. "How long will they keep this up? It's been three days now."

"Nothin' wrong with that," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette.

"Hey guys!" Lucy said, walking up to them. She seemed perfectly normal now, as if she never had those red eyes and scythe. Her hands were in her pockets and she sat next to Zoro. Zoro blushed slightly; he still was slightly flustered from their kiss before. Sanji may not have known what happened, but he noticed his nervousness and decided they needed time alone.

"Well, I'm off to find some girls," he said, walking away. Zoro glared at him, but Sanji pretended not to notice. So he walked off, and now they were alone...together. AWKWARD. Zoro scratched his cheek out of nervousness. Lucy, noticing this, looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. She looked at him with worry, and tried to look him in the eyes, but he avoided eye contact. Lucy furrowed her brows.

"Zoro? Tell me what's wrong," she said, and Zoro took the risk and looked at her eyes. He instantly regretted it. He couldn't resist her innocent eyes.

"...At Arlong Park..." he began, a blush evident on his face. "...W-We...k-k-kissed." Lucy, remembering this, also blushed.

"Sorry!" she said immediately. Zoro blinked at her, obviously not expecting that reaction.

"I'm sorry! I...I..." she looked at Zoro, a blush evident.

"You're all flustered," Zoro pointed out. Lucy looked down.

"It's just...that was my first...kiss," she whispered the last part, but Zoro managed to hear it. His eyes widened. _He_ was her first kiss? It seemed too good to be true.

"Oh." was all he could say. He mentally smacked himself. Really? Oh is all you could say? He was a pathetic excuse for a man. He saw Lucy pat her cheeks, as if trying to force the blush away. When she stopped, she looked at him.

"Well, I should go," she said. He felt a little disappointed that she wasn't staying, and it must have been evident in his eyes, because she said they'd stay. Eventually, the whole town fell asleep, and Lucy fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, Zoro's head on hers.

~.~

Zoro brought up the last of the cargo and handed it to Usopp.

"This is the last one, right?" Usopp asked. Zoro nodded, climbing on deck.

"Got everything?" Lucy asked. Usopp responded with a 'yep'.

"We're all stocked up with everything we need," Sanji said, holding his cigarette. "I think we're good to go."

"We've been on this island for only a few days," Usopp said. "It feels like a lifetime, though." Everyone grinned.

"Let's go," Usopp said.

"Not yet!" Sanji said. "We have to wait for Nami!"

"Maybe she's not coming," Zoro said.

"If you tried to hit on her, I'll break your friggin' neck!" Sanji said. Lucy felt as if her heart sunk a little, but pretended not to hear Sanji's comment. Zoro scoffed.

"As if I'd flirt with Nami," Zoro said.

"Well, there's no reason for her to be a pirate anymore, so she might be better off with her friends and family," Usopp said matter-of-factly.

"What about me, damn it!" Sanji yelled. He turned to Lucy. "Well, at least Lucy's still here~" he said, latching his arms around her waist. Lucy held a blank face. Zoro growled.

"Quit flirting with our captain, Sanji," he said. Sanji stuck his tongue at him.

"Sanji..." Lucy said, obviously uncomfortable. Zoro hit Sanji in the head with the back of his katana.

"Thanks, Zoro," Lucy said gratefully. Zoro muttered a 'yeah' when they heard a commotion stir with the villagers. They all turned to the commotion. They saw Nami standing there.

"Set the sails!" she yelled. She ran with graceful speed toward the Going Merry.

"I don't get it. Why's she running?" Usopp asked.

"She said set the sails," Lucy repeated. With that, they set the sail, raised the anchor, and started on their way.

"You sure you want to let her leave like this?" Sanji asked Lucy.

"Her decision, not mine," Lucy reminded. "She does what she wants." Nami jumped up and landed on the rail. She jumped down from the rail and partially lifted her shirt, causing Sanji to have a nosebleed, but she didn't show anything. Instead, multiple wallets fell from her shirt. It took a moment to sink in. Once it did, Zoro and Usopp sweat-dropped, Sanji and Lucy laughed, and the villagers voiced their protests.

"Goodbye everybody! I'll miss you! Take care!" Nami yelled with a large smile plastered on her face, waving to them. It was time. It was finally time for them to head to the Grand Line.

~.~

**What'd you think? Like? Hate? Confusion? R&R with the marvelous button below! Peace off, viewers! :D**

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****_"If you have good friends, no matter how much life is sucking, they can make you laugh"_

_-P.C. Cast_


	31. To Loguetown!

**Wolfy-tan: Happy Sunday! ^^ Here's chapter 31!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

_**Chapter 31: To Loguetown!**_

"They raised the price _again_?" Nami asked the messenger bird. It nodded.

Nami put on a frustrated face, "Don't you think it's a little _too _high? Why, you...!" She gave him the Berris. "Next time the price is raised, I won't buy it, you hear?" With that, the bird flew away.

"Geez, it is just a newspaper!" Usopp said, doing who knows what in the corner.

"But if you buy it all the time, the prices add up!" Nami said, throwing her arms in the air.

"Well, you don't have to save up your money for your village anymore..." Usopp added. "So why keep worrying about money?"

"Idiot! That's exactly why!" Nami spazzed. "I no longer have that obligation, so from now on it's for myself! I can't be some kind of broke pirate, can I?"

"Oi, keep it down!" Usopp said. "I'm in the middle of formulating my "Sure-Killing Tobasco Star" here!"

Meanwhile...

"Zoro!" Lucy shouted. She sat down next to him. "I'm boooored!"

"Then do something," Zoro said to her. Lucy pulled at his arm.

"Come oooon," she said. Zoro sighed and followed her. Zoro sat on the deck and Lucy sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, straw hat in hand. As Nami sat and read the newspaper, what seemed to be a flyer flew out. Once it landed, everyone let out a yell from shock.

Lucy held up the poster. She suppressed a giggle. "I'm wanted."

Usopp read through it. "Dead or alive...thirty million Berri?"

~.~

Mihawk walked upon the shore. He found it quite humorous that the underlings gathered there were scared shitless.

"Hawk-Eyes! What're you doing here?" one of the underlings shakily said.

"Shut up. I have no business with you," Mihawk said. "Where are your superiors?" The underling ran off to get them.

"Honestly," Mihawk muttered. "Camping out at a place like this...he's too casual."

"!" the underling screamed as he faced his captain with fear. He stumbled as he ran. His captain placed a cup of sake in front of his underling, which he accepted gratefully. He chugged it down before yelling, "HAWK-EYES!" His captain remained silent. Realizing that Mihawk was right behind him, he flinched back to the side as Mihawk stepped forward.

"It has been a while, Mihawk," Shanks said. "Have you come for a match? Because I'm afraid I'm not feeling good today."

Mihawk 'hmphed', "I have no interest in challenging a one-armed man such as you. However..." he pulled out a piece of paper from his coat. "...I ran across some interesting pirates the other day. It reminded me of a story you told me a while back about a small village, and a cute little girl." He unrolled the paper in front of Shanks, revealing a wanted poster for none other than Monkey D. Lucy. Shanks's eyes widened at the sight, but then he calmed and smirked.

"You've finally come, Lucy!" Shanks said. "Well then, Hawk-Eyes...I can't let you go just like that."

A few moments later...

"So, you ran across Lucy, huh?" Shanks said, pouring Mihawk sake. Everyone was in celebration that their little Lucy finally became a wanted pirate. "How is she?"'

"She has grown up to be...quite the lady," Mihawk said, a faint blush on his face. Shanks gave him a questioning look.

"Since when do you blush, Hawk-Eyes?" Shanks asked. He studied his expression. He decided to let it go and continue to party. Mihawk was greatful Shanks was already boozed up that he wouldn't pay attention to Mihawk's expressions.

~.~

"We're getting really close to the Grand Line," Nami said. "The only way to get there is through 'Reverse Mountain'."

"What a pain in the ass," Zoro complained. "Can't we go straight there, from the sea?"

"Nope," Sanji said. "According to the geezer's stories, Reverse Mountain is the only way to get to the Grand Line."

"Why's that?" Usopp asked.

"It's extremely dangerous," Sanji said.

"That's why I asked!" Usopp added. "Why?"

"I don't know any more than that!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Before we head to the Grand Line," Lucy said, grabbing everyone's attention. "We should find an island for provisions." Everyone was kinda surprised she actually suggested something useful. Nami nodded and pointed to a specific place on the map. Lucy looked at it.

"On this island, there is a famous city," Nami said. "Loguetown."

"It's also called 'The Town of the Beginning and the End', or so I've heard," Zoro stated.

"Loguetown?" she repeated. "Oh! That's where Gold Roger was born and executed!"

"Want to go?" Nami asked.

"Yeah," Lucy said. "I want to see it."

~.~

It was now the next morning, and everyone was acting lively as normal.

"C'mon, Zoro," Lucy said. "Let's play tag."

"Whaat?" he said.

"What? What? I wanna play! Let's do it!" Usopp yelled, coming over.

"Are you an idiot? How old are you two?" Zoro asked, annoyance written all over his face. "I'm going to take my pre-breakfast nap."

"He's afraid he's gonna lose," Usopp said, a smirk evident on his face.

"What'd you say you bastard? That is _not_ why."

"Ha! Look how angry he's getting!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Whaat?" With that, an angry game of tag was born, Zoro chasing Usopp mercilessly.

"Come back here, you son of a..."

"Name-calling now, too?" Usopp taunted.

"No fair, Zoro! I wanna play, too!" Lucy said, annoyed he was only chasing Usopp.

"I am NOT playing!" Zoro yelled. Sanji yelled down that the food was ready, and Lucy ran up, Zoro and Usopp behind her. After breakfast, everyone went up to the deck, where they saw the island where Loguetown laid. They landed at the dock.

"Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed, looking at the large city. "It's so big!"

"Lots of pirates stock up here before heading to the Grand Line," Nami said. "This place has pretty much everything!"

Lucy took out a notepad and pencil and began writing who knows what, and talking with Nami. Eventually, Zoro couldn't hold in his curiosity.

"What're you doing?" he asked her. She blinked at him, and showed him her notepad.

"I'm listing where I need to go," she said. Zoro blinked as he read it.

"Clothing shopping with Nami...find a store with paper for refilling journal...visit execution platform...eh?" he said, reading the list. "Since when are you interested in this stuff?"

"Nami insisted she wanted to take me shopping as a sisterly thing, I need new paper for my journal, and I want to see where Gold Roger died," Lucy said.

"Since when do you keep a journal?" Zoro asked.

"Ever since I left my hometown," Lucy answered. "Every good pirate captain keeps records of their lives."

"Alright," Nami said. "It's noon now. Let's meet back at the ship at seven!" With that, Nami and Lucy left to go clothes shopping, and Zoro was worried just what Nami would force her to wear.

With Lucy...

It was two thirty and Nami and Lucy were stocked with new clothing. She was now wearing an outfit Nami bought her: a red tee that said DON'T MESS WITH ME all capitalized and all the words stacked atop each other and showed a little cleavage. She also wore jean shorts slightly torn in the front, but she still wore her sandals and straw hat. Lucy already bought new paper, so there was only one thing left; find the execution platform. Unfortunately, she was lost. Luckily, she found two men.

"Oi!" she yelled, walking to them. "Can you tell me how to get to the execution platform?"

"Execution platform?" he repeated.

"Yeah," she said. "I think I'm lost..."

"I've never seen your face around here before," Smoker said.

"Yeah, I just arrived today!" Lucy exclaimed. "This place is so big! Not like Fuusha Village."

"Why're you looking for the execution platform?" he asked.

"I want to see where the Pirate King died!" she answered. She waited for an answer.

"You don't know?" she asked. She turned to walk away. "Whatever."

"Wait," he said. "Follow the smoke."

"Over there?" she asked. She followed the smoke. "Thank ya!" With that, she walked down Main Street. The very thought that Gold Roger might've walked down this street made Lucy's grin a bit wider. She stopped when she saw the execution platform.

"There it is..." she said to herself. This was where the Pirate King was executed. The place where the greatest pirate ever lived...and died. The place of the beginning and end.

~.~

**The end! Loguetown! Lucy has new clothes! Yay! Peace off, viewers!**

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_"Bravery is being yourself, and that thing nobody can teach you."_

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	32. Lucy's Execution Platform Adventure!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! Here's chapter 32!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Get over it.**

_**Chapter 32: Lucy's Execution Platform Adventure!**_

Lucy began climbing up the platform. She almost fell a few times, but she managed to hang on, but she was interrupted when she heard an 'Oi' coming from a familiar voice. She turned to see the man from before.

"Oi, girl," he said.

"What is it?" she asked. "I'm kinda busy right now."

"Is it really you?" Smoker questioned. "The most wanted criminal in the East Blue?"

"I'm Lucy," she said. "What's up?"

"I'm the Captain of the Marine Base here in Loguetown, Smoker," he said. "I'm here to arrest you."

"Arrest me? I refuse," Lucy said. "I'm setting off to the Grand Line to become the Pirate Queen!"

"The Pirate Queen?" Smoker asked in disbelief. He quickly recollected him. "Then defeat me."

"Huh?" Lucy asked.

"If you can't beat me, you'll have no chance of entering the Grand Line," Smoker explained. "So it all depends on whether or not you have the courage to fight me."

"So to enter the Grand Line, I have to beat you?" Lucy clarified. She smirked. "Then I'll beat you!"

"Try it," Smoker said.

"Rubber Pistol!" she yelled, jumping from the execution platform. Smoker dodged it.

"Slow!" he exclaimed. He punched her. She stumbled back.

"Rubber Whip!" she yelled. Smoker dodged again. Unfortunately, one of her legs wrapped around a fountain and sent her flying. She (eventually) stopped flying when she crashed into a stone staircase at a park, causing its villagers to go into a panic.

"Dangit, I flew so far," Lucy murmured to herself. "Who was that dude, anyway? What should I do now?" she yawned and tipped her hat. "I guess I could just take a nap." She fell asleep, with only dreams to greet her.

~.~

Zoro was pissed. He was trying to buy two new katanas since his last two broke, but then this clumsy of a girl found him yet again while he was at the store checking them out and the clutz was babbling about how the 'Pirate Hunter Zoro' was acting weird and could possibly be doing it for a possible girlfriend he has (Lucy). He just wanted to stick one of the katana ends into her mouth just to shut her up, but that would be insulting the katanas. So finally, he was able to walk from the store with a smirk for his two new katana he got for free.

~.~

Lucy yawned, sitting up.

"What a nice nap!" she said to herself, stretching. She stood up doing a speedy roll and was up in a matter of seconds.

"Back to the execution platform!" she exclaimed to herself. She ran about the town, only to find herself lost again. "...But where is the execution platform?"

~.~

"Cursed blade, eh?" Zoro said, admiring his new blade. "Not bad at all." He looked at his reflection in the blade of his new katana.

"That's a cool looking katana," Lucy said, appearing behind him. He jumped slightly, but smiled when he saw it was just his she-captain.

"What're you doing here, Zoro?" she asked.

"I could ask the same for you," he said.

"Me?" she placed her hands on her hips in a cocky manor. "I'm lost."

"Why're you saying that proudly?" he asked, sweat-dropping.

"Do you know where the gallows are?" Lucy asked him, sitting next to him. He took the moment to inspect her new clothing she was wearing.

"What's with the getup?" he asked. But to be honest, he didn't mind. It was refreshing to see her in something other than her usual vest and loose shorts.

"Nami forced me to get a bunch of clothing," she answered. "I probably look weird in it, don't I?"

"No, no," he said. "I think it looks...good on you."

Lucy giggled before giving Zoro a side-hug. "Thank you!"

"N-No problem..." Zoro said, a slight blush on his face. You could read nervousness in his eyes.

"Well, I'm going to try to find the execution platform again, see you!" she exclaimed, her sandals making light clacking sounds as she ran down the stairs and back into the swarm of town.

Zoro sighed, trying to get a hold of himself. Eventually his blush faded and his heart stopped thumping so loudly. "That girl...does she even realize the affect she has on me?"

~.~

Lucy eventually found her way back to the execution platform. She climbed it with ease. She looked up at the view and awed.

"So this is the view Gold Roger saw before being executed," Lucy murmured in amazement.

"Get down from there!" Lucy looked down to see an officer of the sort.

"Why?" she asked, annoyed at the dejavu.

"Because that is a historical landmark owned by the government!" he yelled. "GET DOWN HERE NOW...!" he was interrupted by a club hitting his head.

"Long time no see, Lucy," the woman with her club in hand said. She was beautiful; however, her clothing choice made Lucy feel a little sick inside. Ugh. Preppy-ass clothing. The worst kind.

"I've been looking for you a long time," she said, looking at Lucy. She looked at the officer, "Try being more polite next time, officer-san!" Lucy remained silent, looking at the woman with slight confusion in her eyes.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me?" she asked, a sly smirk featured on her face. The men swooned at her beauty.

"I've never met any beautiful lady like you before," Lucy responded with a blank look.

"I will never forget you because you are the first person to ever punch my face," the lady said.

"I punched your face?" Lucy asked.

"That punch...I can still feel it." the men swooned at her again. The lady smirked, "Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?" All the men responded "THAT MUST BE YOU!"

"That's right!" she said. "No one has ever acted with such a rebellious attitude like you before, so I have developed a sisterly love toward you!"

"Shut up! I don't care; I already have a sister! Who are you, anyway!"

"You still don't remember me?" she asked, sweat-dropping.

"FREEZE! DON'T MOVE, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR HURTING A GOVERNMENT OFFICER! AND YOU GIRL, GET DOWN FROM THERE!" government officers yelled, rushing to the scene.

"You want to arrest me?" the mystery lady asked, using her beauty to her advantage. The officers immediately turned to mush. Suddenly, a fountain was thrown, it slid off the woman's body and hit the officers behind her.

"That's dangerous," she said to the cloaked man walking up to her.

"Sorry!" the man said. "But you don't have to worry about scars on your smooth skin...Alvida!"

"Alvida?" Lucy asked. "Where is she?"

"I'm Alvida."

"You moron!"

"You're Alvida?" Lucy asked, sweat-dropping. "You've definitely changed a lot."

Alvida chuckled, "As you can see, I've changed because I ate the 'Smooth Fruit'. From now on, no matter how you hurt me, you can't scar my skin. Though my beauty has not changed. The only change is that I've lost my achne."

"Not nearly your only change," Lucy said. EVERYTHING was different about her.

"Anyway, if you can't beat this man, you can't be my sister! I work with him because we have the same goal: finding you," Alvida said.

"After the day you defeated me, I made a vow that I would kill you one day, and reunite with my crew!" the hooded men uncloaked themselves. "The adventure I had with my incomplete body was composed of happiness, sadness, and friendship! Chibi Buggy went through many hardships, but he was able to get through all of that! So, do you want to say anything?"

"Oh, it's just you, Buggy," Lucy said with a bored tone.

"STOP INSULTING ME!" he yelled. "I SEE YOU STILL HAVE YOUR FOUL MOUTH!" The civilians went into a panic as the Buggy Pirates held guns out, ready to shoot civilians if needed. Lucy heard a thump as her head and hands were stuck in holes of wood. She silently cursed.

"Hey, rubber girl," Cabaji said, sitting on the wood. There was a smirk evident on his face. "How's Roronoa Zoro?"

"I will execute you in front of all these civilians!" Buggy yelled. "You should feel honored to die where the Pirate King was executed!"

~.~

**Buggy and Alvida return! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Anway, I'm sorry I didn't get to update yesterday, I had to stay after school until four thirty, and then I had to be at an award ceremony from seven to eight thirty. The exam day is inching closer...crap! Peace out viewers! :D**

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_"I have a great deal of respect and admiration for those who put themselves on the line."_

_-Major Owens_


	33. The Escape!

**Wolfy-tan: Welcome, my viewers! Here's chapter 33!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. :P**

_**Chapter 33: The Escape! It's Time to Go to the Grand Line!**_

"Because Monkey D. Lucy has upset me, she shall be executed!" Buggy yelled atop the execution platform. His crew cheered with multiple yells, whoops, and whistles.

"Go and create chaos!" Buggy yelled to his subordinates. "Anyone who moves will die!" Lucy cursed. This couldn't be the end, could it? No, that just can't happen! She has to become the Pirate Queen! She has to fulfill her prophecy and see her siblings again! Shit shit shit!

"And now I would like to begin the execution in front of you all!" Buggy yelled to his audience.

"I am sorry," Lucy said in a sarcastic voice. "Please let me go."

"WHO'LL LET YOU GO?" Buggy barked. He then turned to the crowd with a smirk. "Do you have any last words before you die? There are so many people here to listen." Lucy remained silent.

"Nevermind!" Buggy said. "I'm sure you have some, but no one will care about that!" Lucy lifted her head and looked at her crowd. Her eyes filled with determination.

"I..." she started. She took a deep breath, "I AM THE PERSON WHO WILL BECOME THE GREATEST PIRATE!" Buggy smirked.

"Was that all you wanted to say, rubber girl...!" Buggy was cut off.

"STOP!" two voices yelled. Lucy brightened at the sight of them.

"Zoro! Sanji!" Lucy exclaimed. Zoro cursed at her situation. Screw you, Buggy Pirates!

"You've finally arrived, Zoro, but you're too late!" Buggy exclaimed.

"We have to destroy the platform," Zoro said to Sanji.

"I know!" Sanji agreed. Buggy Pirates swarmed to attack the two, but all they did was make him even more frustrated. He took out his anger on them. Poor guys...

"Get out of the way!" Zoro yelled, attacking them while running. Buggy laughed his maniac laugh.

"Be prepared as you watch! Because this is the end of your captain's life!" Buggy yelled, swinging his sword to behead her. Zoro and Sanji ran in a frenzy. Lucy gathered her breath.

"ZORO! SANJI! NAMI! USOPP!" She put on her famous grin. "Sorry, but I don't think I'm making it out alive this time." She giggled to herself.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Zoro and Sanji yelled. Just as the sword was about to hit her neck, a large lightning bolt hit the execution platform. It caught on fire, causing the citizens to go into a frenzy. Lucy immerged from the pile of wood, not scarred thanks to her rubber self.

"Lucky!" Lucy giggled. "I'm safe now!"

"SURROUND AND CLOSE ALL THE STREETS! LET'S ARREST THEM!"

"I guess it's time to leave!" Lucy exclaimed as she, Zoro, and Sanji broke out into a full sprint.

"What a heavy storm," Zoro noticed, looking at the sky as he ran.

"They're still finding us," Lucy informed. "Should we stop to fight them?"

"No, it's worthless," Sanji said. "Besides, Nami-san told us to go back to our ship as soon as possible."

"Roronoa Zoro!" the trio halted as they saw a woman with indigo hair and dark eyes. "I never would of thought that you were Roronoa Zoro! You must feel so proud that you can trick me! I can't forgive you now!"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THAT LADY!" Sanji yelled at Zoro.

"So you are a marine?" Zoro asked the woman.

"I will take Wadou Ichimonji from you," Tashigi stated.

"Try if you can!" Zoro exclaimed, rushing toward her. They clashed katana, and Sanji was yelling about Zoro attacking a girl.

"Go," Lucy ordered. He answered with a 'Yes, Lucy!' and ran off. Eventually, a clinking sound of Tashigi's katana was heard as it was knocked out of her hand. Her eyes widened as Zoro's katana stabbed the wall beside her. Zoro's smirk was very wide.

"No matter what happens, I won't hand this katana to anyone," Zoro told her. He retrieved his sword from the wall and placed it at his side. "I must go now, bye!" Tashigi gritted her teeth.

"Why not just kill me!" Tashigi yelled to him. Zoro looked back at her, silent.

"Is it because I'm a woman?" she asked bitterly. Memories of Kuina rushed into his mind like a film.

"In a legit fight, there is no man or woman! If you don't fight with your real power, it would be a really shameful thing. You will never understand the feeling of being born a woman. I didn't become a swordsman for fun-!"

_**SMACK!**_

Tashigi fell to the floor, her hand on her cheek which was now red. Tashigi and Zoro looked at Lucy in shock, not expecting her to slap Tashigi.

"Shut your mouth!" Lucy exclaimed. The rain poured hard, causing Lucy's hair to stick to her neck. Her eyes had a cold layer to them, and her hands were now enclosed to fists at her sides. She lowered her head, her bangs making it impossible to see her face.

"I can understand where you're coming from. I've been mocked for wanting to fight for being a girl. I've been underestimated, insulted, and even spit at many times growing up for my dream, but..." she looked up. Her eyes were full of rage. "Zoro is the last person who would think like that! Do you really think he would become my nakama, had he been a sexist jerk like others I've met? Zoro's not like that..." she started shaking, watching the rain pelt the stone path. Her hands were balled up again. "...There's also people like you, though. Zoro was going to let you live, and yet you mock him, naming him as sexist! I hate people like you who blame your defeat upon your sex!" She turned. "Zoro, I'm going."

Zoro shook off his shock from her sudden outburst, "Right behind you." With that said, they both left, leaving a very shocked Tashigi. They sprinted for a while before Lucy skidded to a halt, recognizing the figure before her. Zoro stopped behind her.

"You!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Who is he?" Zoro asked.

"I am Smoker, the major of this marine base," Smoker replied. He held out his arms. "I won't let you out of this town!" he yelled, his arms turning to smoke. It trapped her, picking her out. Her brows furrowed, trying to escape the mysterious smirk. Zoro attempted slicing him, only for him to turn to smoke.

"Don't attempt attacking me, weakling!" Smoker yelled, blasting himto the side.

"Zoro!" she yelled. "Rubber Pistol!" Her attack was fruitless, for his body turning to smoke. She gasped when a hand was atop her head.

"So your head is worth thirty million?" Smoker asked, slamming her face into the stone ground. "You're just unlucky!"

"I don't think so."

Smoker turned to the mysterious voice, Lucy left to wonder who the voice belonged to.

"You!" she heard Smoker exclaimed, making her even more confused on just who the other person was.

"The government is looking for you!" Smoker exclaimed.

"The world is waiting for our answer," the voice said. "Storm!" the voice yelled. You could hear the storms around them rage even larger. Lucy tumbled thanks to the sudden wind, her voice still facing the ground.

"Lucy!" she heard a familiar voice yell. She felt herself being picked up by Zoro. Zoro ran with Lucy being dragged, wondering just what was going on.

"We need to hurry before they close up the island!" Zoro exclaimed. "And the storm is getting heavier." Lucy closed her eyes as she tried to think of where she heard the voice before. She could feel a familiar dizzy feeling begin in her head. The pain began seeping in before she lost consciousness.

"Lucy!" Zoro yelled. He silently cursed before picking her up bridal style. "Why now of all times?" He ran off, and he couldn't help but notice how light she was. You'd think with all the meat she eats, she'd at least seem somewhat heavy. Nope. Completely light. He sprinted as he ran to the port. He set Lucy down once he finally reached the ship. He helped Usopp raise the anchor. Lucy woke up once they started sailing, still silent, as if tranced. She shakily stood up, before feeling strong arms wrap around her waist. Zoro put his forehead on her shoulder.

"You idiot..." he muttered, just loud enough for Lucy to hear. "Don't scare me like you did at the execution platform ever again..." Lucy wrapped her arms his neck, drawing him closer. He was shaking.

"What would I have done...what would we all have done, had you actually died?" His voice cracked. He tightened his grip around her waist, drawing her even closer. Not even Sanji ruined this moment. They needed this moment.

"I'm sorry." Zoro's eyes widened. Her voice was soothing, yet a whisper so just Zoro could hear it. He nuzzled into her neck, Lucy following his example. Nami mentally 'aww' ed, and then took a picture for future blackmail, Usopp put up an O.O face, and Sanji had fire in his eyes. Yup. It was an interesting moment. However, the duo both knew this moment couldn't last forever, so they seperated and focused on getting to the Grand Line. Lucy watched as Nami navigated the Mugiwaras, Lucy looked up at the sky.

_'Just focusing on his voice, I had a vision of my birth...'_ Lucy thought to herself. _'Thank you...Tou-chan...'_

"Shall we begin the celebration for making it to the ocean?" Sanji asked, dragging out a barrel. The crew gathered around it.

"I wish to find the All Blue," Sanji said, putting his foot up onto the barrel.

"I wish to become the Pirate Queen," _'And fulfill the prophecy in my favor,'_ Lucy said and thought, putting her foot onto the barrel, following Sanji's example. Soon, the others followed, also.

"I wish to become an invinsible swordsman."

"I wish to draw a world map."

"I wish to become a brave warrior of the sea!"

"LET'S GO TO THE GRAND LINE!" they shouted together.

~.~

**I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I had to go to the orthodonist for my braces. Exams are in one week! DUN DUN DUUUUN! Anyways, I'm not updating tomorrow since I'm going to an amusement park with my friends for a whole day. Remember, R&R!**

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	34. Whale Problems!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers :D Here's chapter 34!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece :(**

_**Chapter 34: Whale Problem!**_

"Nami, we have a problem!" Lucy shouted. "The light from the lighthouse is gone!" Lucy along with her crew were now sailing to the Grand Line together, and they had been using a lighthouse's light to guide them; however, now that light was gone now.

"No, it's supposed to go out," Nami said. "That's why we have a navigator. Trust me; I can remember the way." Lucy climbed down from her special seat on the Going Merry.

"But we might be in trouble soon. We're coming up to the Loose Mountain soon," Nami said. She dragged Lucy to the kitchen where the rest of the crew was. Lucy sat next to Zoro as Nami explained the situation again to the passengers. Everyone had mixed reactions.

"I want to ask something," Zoro said. "Why must we go through that way? Couldn't we enter the Grand Line by going south?"

"No, and there is a reason for that," Nami said.

"Look!" Usopp exclaimed, looking out the window. "The storm passed!"

"Yeah, it's so calm outside," Sanji noted.

"That's impossible," Nami said. "If we head towards the storm, we will arrive at the entrance..." Everyone walked out onto the deck and checked it out.

"Not good," Nami said. "This is the 'Calm Belt'."

"The Calm Belt? What is that?" Lucy asked.

"Look! It's still storming over there!" Usopp yelled. "But this side is so calm; there's not even wind..."

"SHUT UP AND PREPARE TO ROW!" Nami exclaimed. "WE'RE HEADING BACK TO THE STORM!"

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji said.

"Why in such a hurry?" Lucy asked. "You tell us to row, but this isn't a rowboat."

"Why do we have to go back into the storm?" Usopp asked.

"JUST SHUT UP AND DO IT!" Nami yelled.

"It's nice weather, why do we have to go back there?" Zoro questioned.

"I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU! NOW, THE SHIP IS HEADING SOUTH AS YOU WANTED!" Nami screamed.

"Oh?" Zoro asked. "So we're in the Grand Line now?"

"IF IT WAS THAT EASY TO ENTER, THEN THERE WOULD BE MANY PEOPLE COMING HERE!" Nami calmed herself, but kept her strict face on. "The Grand Line is surrounded by two seas. One of the seas is the Calm Belt, the sea without wind."

"You're right, there's no wind," Zoro said. "So what?"

"Because the sea is..."

"Earthquake?" Lucy asked as their ship started to shake ferociously.

"Don't be stupid!" Usopp yelled. "We're in the middle of the ocean!" Suddenly, the Mugiwaras could feel the ship being lifted to the air, and all of their faces fell when they saw the ship had moved to the face of a Sea King, along with multiple other Sea Kings around the one they were on.

"This is a giant Sea King nest!" Nami said shakily, hanging onto the mast of the ship. Lucy, Sanji, and Zoro all got a paddle.

"As soon as these things go back into the water, we row as faster than possible, got it?" Zoro stated. Lucy and Sanji nodded vigorously. That was when an 'ACHOO' could be heard as the ship was flown off the Sea King's face. Luckily, everyone was able to grab onto the ship. Unfortunately, both Lucy and Usopp slipped, and Zoro grabbed Lucy, and Lucy used her rubber power to grab Usopp. Soon, the Going Merry was skidding along in the storm once again. Usopp hit the railing with an 'oof', while Lucy had fallen onto Zoro. They both sat up, Lucy resting her head on his lap.

"Do you understand why we can't enter that way?" Nami asked. Everyone nodded. Nami perked up. "I know!"

"What?" Zoro asked. He placed his arm around Lucy's waist. By now, he was starting to get used to his crush on his she-captain, and he was able to control his blushing more. He thought of it as training his self-control.

"We have to go up the mountain!"

"You're still thinking about that?"

"If the waves from the four oceans go up the mountain, it will create a stream!" Nami exclaimed. "The water will push up the canal, and when the water had reached up the mountain's peak, it will push back to the Grand Line! So, the ship can go up the mountain with the stream's power! The only problem left is how to control the rudder. Loose Mountain is basically a huge iceberg. When the stream hits the mountain, the water will go down. If we can't control the ship through the entrance, our ship will crash and drown. Do you understand?"

"I see," Lucy said. "So it's a magic mountain."

"You don't understand at all, do you?" Nami asked, sweat-dropping.

"You're so awesome, Nami-swan!" Sanji swooned.

"I've never heard that a ship could climb a mountain," Zoro said.

"I have," Sanji said.

"What? About the 'Magic Mountain'?"

"No, about the Grand Line," Sanji said. "They said that it's really hard to just get into the Grand Line. So, I realize that entering the Grand Line won't be an easy job!" Lucy ran to the rails.

"I see it! The Magic Mountain!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Wait, what's the shadow back there?" Usopp asked.

"Is that the Red Line?"

"There's so much fog, I can't see anything."

"TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND HOLD THE RUDDER TIGHT!" Lucy shouted.

"LEAVE IT TO US!" Sanji and Usopp shouted back. They saw a path in front of them. They could see the canal in front of them dead ahead. Sanji and Usopp held the rudder in place with all of there might, but a snapping noise was heard.

"THE RUDDER!" They all yelled together.

"We're going to hit the gate!" Nami yelled.

"Rubber Balloon!" Lucy yelled, swelling herself to resemble a balloon and used herself to keep the the ship from hitting the gate. Going Merry steered onto the correct course.

"We're safe!" Nami exclaimed.

"LUCY!" Zoro yelled. "TAKE MY HAND!" Lucy grabbed it just before hitting the water using her rubber power, and she landed in Zoro's arms.

"WE DID IT!" Everyone, excluding Zoro, yelled together.

"We're going down now!" Nami said. You could see a shimmer in Lucy's eyes, but only Zoro was the one to catch it.

"I can see the Grand Line!" she exclaimed from her special seat atop the Going Merry. "The largest sea in the world...let's go!"

**_BO_**

"Oi, did you hear something?" Zoro asked._  
><em>

"Don't worry about it!" Lucy yelled. "Let's go!"

"Maybe it's wind. I guarantee that you will find a very different atmosphere," Nami reassured.

**_BO_**

"Nami-san, there's a mountain blocking our way!" Sanji yelled from atop the mast.

"A mountain? That's impossible," Nami said. "After this, we should reach the sea."

_**BO**_

Lucy squinted, "That's not a mountain...that's a giant whale!"

_**BO**_

"What're we gonna do? Fight?"

"Are you nuts?"

"How can we fight a giant whale?"

"But it's blocking our way!"

"Wait, when we were farther away, it looked like a wall!" Sanji noted. "Where are its eyes?"

"That's right," Nami said. "It might not know we're here yet!"

"But we're gonna hit it!" Zoro added. "We'll be safe if we go through the passage on the left! Someone control the rudder!"

"But the rudder is broken!" Usopp yelled.

"We have to do something; I'll help too!" Zoro exclaimed, running to the rudder. Lucy went down to the cannon room doing who knows what. As Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro were trying use the broken rudder, they heard a cannon shot.

"Lucy shot the cannon!" Nami said, a sweat-drop appearing on everyone. The ship crashed into the whale, causing Lucy's special seat to break off.

"My special seat!" Lucy yelled.

"Now, let's get out of here!"

"What's happening? Doesn't this whale feel the cannon ball he was hit by?"

"Is it a stupid whale?"

"How can we know? Let's get out of here first!" Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all started rowing, the whale's cries hurting their ears.

"Ugh! That sound is breaking my ears!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Everyone row so we can get away from it!" Sanji yelled. Lucy stood up from next to Nami.

"You destroyed my special seat!" Lucy yelled, punching the whale in its eye.

"YOU IDIOT!" the four Mugiwaras cried together. Even Sanji.

"He's looking at us!"

"Come and get me, you stupid whale!" Lucy yelled, getting in her stance. However, Lucy began another coughing fit. Blood came out of her mouth relentlessly, and the fact that the whale opened its mouth to eat them didn't exactly help the situation. Lucy was swept from the ship, and she fell into the whale separately from her crew.

"I won't...**_KOFF KOFF_ _KOFF_...**die..._**KOFF KOFF KOFF**_** KOFF...**die...here...!" she yelled, using her rubberness to escape. She coughed and coughed atop the whale. Once she finally calmed down, she said to herself, "What am I going to do? My whole crew was swallowed!" She punched the whale. "OI! LET MY FRIENDS OUT! LET EVERYONE OUT!" That was when she found a hatch in the whale. She tilted her head in curiosity, and quickly climbed in it before the whale submerged to sea.

~.~

"What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Zoro asked, looking out from the deck.

"Never mind what you're thinking," Sanji said. "Anyway, we were swallowed by a giant whale. Is it a dream?" They looked at what seemed to be the outside world. Sky, clouds, sea, and an island.

"Yes, a dream."

"So, what about that island and house?"

"An illusion, maybe?" A giant squid immersed from the 'sea'.

"What about this?" Zoro asked.

"GIANT SQUID!" Nami and Usopp screamed together. Suddenly, the squid was shot.

"Someone's here," Zoro said through gritted teeth.

"I hope he's a good man," Sanji said with a smirk.

"Where's Lucy?" Usopp said between between tears.

"I wanna go home," Nami said, also between tears. They watched as the harpoon slowly reeled the squid inside.

~.~

"...Eh?" Lucy looked around the tunnel. "What is this? How come there is a hatch and a passage inside a whale?"

~.~

"Is that harpoon coming from that island?" Usopp asked, pointing.

"Wait, someone's coming out of that house," Sanji said. They all watched as a shadowy figure came out from the house. They were surprised at what they saw.

"...Flower?"

~.~

**I'm sorry it took so long to upload! Okay, so it's like...1:30am right now and I'm surprisingly not tired. I would've updated sooner, but this is basically the jist of the situation today: There are three computers in my house: my sister's laptop, my sister's computer in her room, and my dad's computer in our den. My dad was on his computer doing who knows what, my sister's boyfriend was over and they were hanging out in her room so I couldn't use her computer, and everytime I tried to push a button of the sort on the internet of the laptop, the entire internet would freeze. Yup. :-/ Peace out viewers! Remember to R&R, and I'll give you a mental fist bump! :-D**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Kirin's horns**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

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_**zofie15**_

_"All men of action are dreamers."_

_-James Huneker_


	35. Setting Off to Whiskey Peak!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello once again viewers! Here's chapter 35.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. :O**

**_Chapter 35: Setting Off to Whiskey Peak!_  
><strong>

"A flower!" Sanji exclaimed.

"A flower?" Zoro asked disbelievingly. The figure came from the shadows revealed a man with a flower head.

"Nope, he's human," Sanji said, disappointed.

"A human?" Usopp asked. "He's the man who shot the squid?"

"He's just a regular human?" Nami asked. Sanji looked at the man, and he returned the look. There was a silence as Sanji waited for him to say something.

"CAN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?" Sanji exclaimed. The man sat down in a lawn chair, still not saying anything.

"IF YOU WANT A FIGHT, WE AREN'T SCARED OF YOU!" Usopp exclaimed. "WE HAVE A CANNON!"

"...Don't even think about it, or someone will die," the man said mysteriously.

"And who is gonna die, old man?" Sanji asked mischievously.

"Me."

"YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!"

"Calm down," Zoro said. But in truth, Zoro was not calm himself. He was extremely worried about Lucy. Where could she have gone? Wasn't she swallowed, too? All he could do was assume that she was somewhere else in the whale.

"Who are you and what is this place?" Zoro asked. "Can you tell us?"

"He's insulting me..." Sanji said before Zoro pushed him back slightly.

"...Before you ask questions, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" the man asked.

"You're right, sorry," Zoro apologized.

"My name is Claucus. I am seventy-one years old, Pisces sign, AB blood-type. I am the caretaker of the Futako Mizaki City's lighthouse."

"SHOULD I KILL HIM HERE?"

"Calm down!"

"You ask what this place is?" Claucus asked. "You were swallowed by a whale and brought to my one-man resort! Did you think this was a rat's stomach?"

"So we really _were_ eaten by a giant whale," Usopp concluded.

"What're we gonna do?" Nami fretted. "I don't want to be digested!"

"There's an exit over there."

"YOU HAVE AN EXIT, TOO? How can you have an exit in a whale's stomach?" They started at the exit with sweat-drops. That was when they realized something.

"There's sky over the door," Nami said.

"And there are clouds over the sky," Usopp added.

"It's a picture," Claucus said, leaning back in his chair. "A picture on the whale's stomach. This whale is very playful."

"WHAT _ARE_ YOU DOING IN HERE?" Usopp questioned.

"Forget about him, Usopp," Zoro said. "Let's get out of here." Then the water began swishing to and fro with tremendous power, causing everything to crash about the waves.

"It begins," Claucus said as his island rocked with the waves.

"Look!" Nami said, pointing to the island. "It's not an island, but a ship made of iron!"

"So, if we stay here for a long time, our ship will be destroyed!"

"What _is_ beginning? Tell us!" Usopp exclaimed.

"This whale..." he said with crossed arms. "...Is using its head to hit the Red Line."

"EH?" Zoro and Sanji said in unison.

"Yeah, I saw scars on its forehead," Nami said. "Aside from that, he pulled his head up to the sky and cried!"

"What does that mean?" Usopp asked.

"He's sad!" Nami said. "So what _is_ that old man doing here?" Claucus sighed.

"He's going to kill the whale from the inside!" Usopp exclaimed. "What a cruel person!"

"The mystery's solved, so let's get out of here," Zoro suggested. "If we don't, we could be digested."

"We aren't whale hunters and we have no reason to save the whale, so let's get out of here," Sanji stated.

~.~

"What is this?" Lucy asked herself as she clanked back and forth in the passage. "I'm dizzy!"

She looked forward, "Dead end...?" her question was answered when her head hit the end of the passageway. However, there was no floor underneath, so she fell to what seemed like another passageway, but with water.

"What is this, now? A sea? A river? Looks like a canal..." she was interrupted by the massive shaking again.

"Gah! Again?"

~.~

"We can't reach the exit," Zoro stated.

"Hurry up! If we don't, Lucy or we could be in danger! He must be outside because I saw her escape before getting swallowed!" Usopp exclaimed. Zoro kept a straight face, but inwardly he sighed of relief. They watched Claucus dive into the water. Everyone started talking about the danger he was in and how he could get digested.

"Perhaps he's heading towards the exit," Usopp suggested. "We should hurry up, too, before the whale gets mad again."

"We have to row to get there," Zoro said. "Hurry up!"

~.~

Lucy couldn't stop running. Because the passage had tilted, Lucy's legs refused to stop.

"I CAN'T STOP RUNNING! HELP!" Lucy ran and ran, and she couldn't stop, even when she saw two figures before her. They crashed into the wall, causing them to plummet through the air.

"Lucy?" Zoro asked. There was a large sweat-drop evident. Lucy used her rubber power to land on her ship, however the other two strangers weren't so lucky. Lucy clung to Zoro as Sanji went to rescue them.

"As long as I'm alive, I won't let anyone touch the whale!" Claucus exclaimed. The two strangers began laughing and stood up.

"But we're inside the whale now!" the male stranger said. They both shot their bazookas.

"That means we can destroy the stomach...and get out of here. You can't stop us anymore."

"Hooligan people!" Claucus shouted in anger. He jumped in front of it so it would hit him instead of the whale.

"He shielded himself to protect the whale," Usopp said.

"It's worthless!" the female stranger said.

"No matter what happens, this whale must be food for our town!" the male stranger said.

"Why would that old man...?" Usopp asked.

"What's going on, here?" Nami asked. Lucy left Zoro's grip and knocked the two strangers upside the head.

"Anyway, let's take care of these two, first," Lucy said. Claucus explained the whale whose name was Laboon and his past. They traveled down the passage Lucy had gone down not that long ago. He opened the exit and everyone was relieved to see the real sky.

"What're we going to do with these two?"

"Just throw 'em out." And that's what they did.

"So, who are you?" Lucy asked, leaning on the rails.

"It's none of your business," the woman spat.

"Wait, Ms. Wednesday," the man said. "Even if it's none of her business, we do have some relation to pirates."

"That's right, Mr. Nine. It really involves our company, so you'd better be prepared!" 'Ms. Wednesday' said. Lucy squinted at them. Mr. Nine? Ms. Wednesday? Could they be...no, they couldn't...! Lucy shook the thought.

"WE WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, YOU COUNTRYSIDE PIRATES!"

"CLAUCUS! ONE DAY, WE WILL TAKE THAT WHALE FOR SURE!"

"Her name is Miss Wednesday?" Sanji asked. "What a mysterious woman." Lucy 'hmphed', and looked at the ground. She found this weird thing and picked it up.

"Whose is this?" she asked. It was probably those two's. According from their names, it was very likely they're from...no, no! She would not think of that organization.

"Is it good to let them get away?" Nami asked. "They can come back to kill the whale."

"If we hold them here, they'll send new guys to kill the whale, anyway," Claucus said.

"But it's been fifty years, he still thinks his friends will come?" Nami asked.

"Those pirates are really making this whale wait a long time," Lucy said.

"No, that's not it," Sanji said. "This is the Grand Line, remember? They said they'd be back in two to three years, but it's been fifty! He probably gets the answer. They're dead. No matter how long he waits, they'll never come back."

"Why're you saying that? Who knows? Maybe they're coming back," Usopp said. "It's a beautiful thing to know this whale is keeping his promise."

"But reality is more cruel than a dream," Claucus said. "They're already gone. I checked already. They already left from the Grand Line."

"What did you say?" Usopp said, shocked.

"So this whale was abandoned?" Nami questioned. "But if they were to escape from here, they'd have to go through the Calm Belt."

"That's right, so I don't know if they're alive or dead," Claucus said. "Even if they are still alive, they're never coming back. No one wants to stay in this catastrophic atmosphere. If you're not strong enough, you can't survive in the sea. Because once you experience the fear of the Grand Line, you will become weak."

"So, that means they weren't strong enough and feared death," Sanji said. "So they decided to leave without thinking of the promise."

"This whale has been abandoned even after he believed in them for fifty years!" Usopp exclaimed. "That is too cruel!"

"Since you already know the truth, why don't you tell him?" Nami suggested. "He can understand human language, can't he?"

"I've already told him everything, but Laboon didn't listen," Claucus said. "Ever since that day, Laboon always faces Loose Mountain and cries. And he has hit his head to destroy the Red Line to show they will come back. I've told Laboon many times, but he won't admit the truth."

"What a whale!" Sanji said. "Even though he knows he was betrayed, he's still waiting."

"Even though it's worthless to wait," Usopp added.

"Yes, because he will have nothing left if he let's go of the promise, that's why," Claucus said. "His home is in the West Blue, on the other side of the Red Line. That means he can't go there anymore, so his friends are his last hope."

"But you were betrayed, too," Sanji said. "Why are you still with him?"

"Look at the scars on his head," Claucus said. "If he continues hitting his head, he'll die. I've been with him for fifty years. He's become part of my life, so I can't let him die." Lucy, while the others weren't looking her way, broke off the mast.

"Rubber Flower Arrangement!" she yelled as she smacked the mast on Laboon's head. Laboon let out a cry as he shook his head in attempt to shake Lucy off. Lucy screamed as she was shook back and forth. She smirked as she punched Laboon's eye. Laboon sent her flying. She hit the stone ground with an 'oof'.

"WE'RE EVEN NOW!" she yelled. Laboon blinked. She smirked, "I'm very good, right? But we still don't know the result of the fight, so we'll fight again in the future. Your friends may already be dead, but I'm alive." Tears began rolling down Laboon's eyes. "We will travel around the Grand Line and come to see you again. Let's fight again next time." Everyone smiled as Laboon let out a happy cry. Lucy painted a, if somewhat messy, painting of the Mugiwara symbol on Laboon's forehead. He let out another 'bo'.

"Okay," Lucy said. "This is the symbol of the promise between you and me! You can't bang your head anymore, or else the symbol will come off."

"BO."

"Very good!" Lucy said. She hugged Laboon. Nami went to coordinate their traveling plans, Sanji went to cook his massive fish, Usopp went to fix the mast, and Zoro was sleeping. Not much of a shocker there. That was until, a massive shriek was heard, that made even Laboon jump to the sea for cover. Everyone rushed over.

"The compass is broken! It won't stop spinning!" Nami exclaimed.

"It seems you know nothing about this place! I'm really tired of you," Claucus said. "Do you want to waste your life here? I told you common sense doesn't work on the Grand Line. Your compass is not broken."

"A magnetic field?" Nami asked.

"Yes. Because every island is the main source of many elements of the Grand Line. Thus, it creates a large magnetic field that covers every inch of this place," Claucus explained. "Besides, the stream and wind are uncertain! If you're a true navigator, you can understand how dangerous that is. Without knowledge, all there is to do is die out there."

"You're right, without knowing the direction, we're hopeless," Nami admitted. "And I don't know how to solve the problem."

"To travel in the Grand Line, you must have a log post," Claucus said.

"A log post?" Nami asked. "I've never heard of it."

"It's a special compass," he said. "It doesn't look like a normal compass." Lucy digged into her jean pocket.

"Like this?" she asked, holding up the object she found from the two strangers.

"Yes," he answered. "Without a log post, it's impossible to travel throughout the Grand Line."

"How did you get this?" Nami questioned as Lucy handed her the log post.

"Those two strange people who were hunting Laboon left it on the ship," Lucy explained. Nami stared at it.

"It's a log post, but there's no letters on it," Nami said.

"Each island on the Grand Line has a unique magnetic field," he said. "We have to save this magnetic field that attracts one island to the other with the log post. Then use it to head to the next destination. The log post is the only thing you can trust on the Grand Line. First you have to choose one of the seven magnetic fields from this island. No matter which path you take, you end in the same place: "Rough Tale", the final destination of the Grand Line. According to history, only Gold Roger and his crew made it to that island. It is legendary."

"So One Piece must be on that island!" Usopp concluded. Unfortunately, Nami tripped herself, causing the log post to crash and break. Everyone, aside from Zoro and Lucy who weren't paying attention, began freaking out.

"Don't worry," Claucus said. "I'll give you another one, out of appreciation for what you did for Laboon." That was when they noticed the two strangers gasping for air. Zoro couldn't help but notice Lucy had a glare on them and her fists were balled. He was curious as to why. Sanji helped Ms. Wednesday up. When they asked for a ride to Whiskey Peak, it seemed as if Lucy's anger only got worse.

So it was true. They _were_ part of that organization. She knew it. They had the names, the spunk, and the hideout. To take them was bad news. But it would be weird if Lucy flat out refused. Besides, this would be a good time to destroy the hideout once and for all. As everyone was preparing the ship, Lucy approached the two, a hard glare set on her eyes.

"I will be keeping an eye on you two," she said in a nastily cold voice. It sent chills down both their spines.

"W-What're you talking about?" Ms. Wednesday asked shakily. Lucy whispered it, and it sent another chill down their sides.

"Let's just say I'm an acquaintance of your little organization." She walked away. The duo fell of pure shock as Lucy walked away. Her obsidian eyes were hardened. You couldn't hear the patter of her feet as she walked. Her eyebrows furrowed. She whispered the last part, so no one aside from her could hear it.

"Because...I was once a part of it."

~.~

**I know what you're thinking. WHAT. Major cliffy! :DDDD More of Lucy's past is revealed! So, peace out viewers! DUN. DUN. DUN...!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_ComicGeek_**

**_elric_**

**_LazyFoxLover_**

**_Kirin's horns_**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_"Of joys departed, not to return, how painful the remembrance."_

_-Robert Blair_


	36. Dealing With Baroque Works!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello everyone! Here's chapter 36!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece. :'O**

_**Chapter 36: Dealing With Baroque Works!**_

Lucy shivered at the freezing cold as snow landed in her hair. It reminded her of so long ago on that snowy night when she left...

_"Lucy!" Ace yelled as he, Eraquoir, and Eracire ran toward the shore to find Lucy beside a strange man._

_"You're really going?" Eraquoir questioned._

_"You're only ten, Lucy!" Ace exclaimed, staring at her with his brows furrowed. "You can't really be going to Alabasta, are you?"_

_"Don't worry, you guys," Lucy said. "I'll only be gone a few years. This man said he'd take me, so I can join Baroque Works. I'll be fine!"_

_"Lucy..." Eracire said. He rushed a hand in his dark hair. "You don't have to go to this extent just to..."_

_"I'll do whatever it takes!" Lucy exclaimed. "I promise I'll be back in three years. I'll be back with information."_

_"At least let us come with you!" Eraquor begged._

_"No!" she responded. "It'll be too suspicious if we all go; both here and at Alabasta. I promise I'll return." Lucy hugged them. They all said their goodbyes as she and the man climbed inside as she was taken away from her home._

_"I promise!" she whispered to herself again._

And now Lucy was stuck helping people who worked at the place she used to work at. It really pissed her off. One thing was for sure, she was going to 'dispose' of those Baroque workers when they arrive there. It sucked. She was actually hoping to _enjoy_ her second trip on the Grand Line. So much for that plan.

Now that she thought about it, Lucy noticed Nami hasn't checked to rudder in a while.

"Nami," Lucy said, looking at the log post.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We're going the wrong way," she said pointing to the log post.

.

.

.

A large scream was heard. Lucy covered her ears. Everyone rushed over, aside from the two guests and Zoro, who was snoring away.

"We're turning back 180 degrees!" Nami exclaimed. "I had no idea we were heading the wrong direction! I didn't look at the log post for a while, and the waves are calm!" It was then that a large storm started, and everyone was rushing around, even the guests which Nami put to work, and once the storm was gone, everyone dropped to the floor, aside from Lucy, who seemed to be recollecting memories, and Zoro, who had just waken from a nap.

"What're you all doing? I know it's nice weather, but you guys just can't drop to the ground like that." Everyone sweat-dropped.

Zoro looked down to see the two from before, "What're they doing here?"

"We're taking them to their town," Lucy said. It seemed to be her regular voice...but could he detect a hint of venom behind her words? Must be his imagination.

"Why?" he asked. "We have no reason to."

"That's right. We have no reason to."

He kneeled in front of them, "What're your names?" He noticed they fidgeted.

"Mr. Nine."

"Ms. Wednesday."

"I believe I've heard those names before," he said with a smirk and a glint in his eye. Lucy's eyebrow raised at this statement. She could tell by that glint and smirk; he knows. He's heard of Baroque Works, somehow. She didn't know how, but he did. Then Nami hit him and nagged him with her scary face and yadda yadda yadda...

"We've completed our first journey," Nami concluded, pointing at the island.

"Whiskey Peak..." Lucy muttered. It had been at least four years since she last been there. She wondered if anyone would recognize her. Not that she wanted anyone to recognize her. Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday both jumped to sea, thanking them with a smirk. Lucy wasn't an idiot, most of the time, anyway. She new that Baroque would most likey attack her and her crew for bounty if they didn't recognize her. If they did, they'd attack them and take her to Crocodile. Either one was each annoying.

"Are there any ghosts or monsters here?" Usopp asked shakily.

"Probably, considering this is the Grand Line," Sanji said.

"We can go to another island then," Lucy suggested. She'd like no more than to leave this shithole.

"Wait a minute," Nami said. "Don't forget that we have to spend some time on this island."

Lucy puffed her cheeks, "Stupid log post..." With that, they entered the island, ready to run or fight at any moment. It was then that people ran up to greet the pirates. Everyone was surprised except for Lucy, who was wearing a scowl.

"Welcome," a tall man with curled hair said to them as they docked. "My name is Igurabpoi. This is the town of Whiskey Peak, the town of music and liquor."

"Yeah," Lucy said, eyes hardened. "You can tell by the name." Everyone was surprised at her rudeness.

"We welcome you," he said. "This town has quite the lot of liquor. How about we hold a party and hear of your journey?" Lucy glared, Nami nodded with a smile, Zoro remained emotionless, and Usopp and Sanji skipped away to the party a little too enthusiastically.

"Whatever," Lucy said. Lucy watched behind the scenes as her crew blindly partied. She walked outside to eavesdrop on the Baroque workers outside. When she heard their plan, she climbed to the top of the building in front of them without them noticing.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to succeed at that plan," she said, catching their notice.

"Sorry Baroque Works," she said. "But I'll be taking out your one hundred hunters."

"How do you know our company's name?" Mr. Nine shouted. They were all freaked out now. They watched Lucy's eyes turned red.

"Perhaps you can recognize me like this?" she asked, holding out her scythe.

"You're...the legendary Miss Good-Friday!" Mr. Eight said.

"Damn straight I am!" Lucy said. "And I'm gonna kick your asses!"

"Now, now, don't take all the fun, Lucy."

Lucy smirked, "It's about damn time you come, Zoro!" Zoro appeared beside her.

"I guess this means we're splitting fifty-fifty, right?" he asked. I nodded. They both wore smirks. They both split up so fast it seemed as if they vanished. They reappeared at opposite ends, and half went to Lucy's side, half to Zoro's side.

Lucy smirked evilly as she swung her scythe. All of them were unconscious in a matter of seconds, they were all knocked out.

"Don't worry," she said. "You won't die. I just put in enough to knock you out for about...a year or two." She counted on her fingers. She sat down.

"Now all I have to do is wait for Zoro to finish." Her red eyes faded to black and her scythe disappeared. She sat with her legs crossed, her eyes closed. She made an odd insignia with her hands. She decided to give her siblings a call.

_"Ace! Eraquor! Eracire! Are you all there?"_

_**"Hey, Luce! It's been a while since you've called us! Are you doing okay?" **_

_**"Lucy, I miss you!"**_

_**"Diddo!"**_

_"Honestly! Do you know who you're talking to? Of course I'm doing okay! I miss you all, too! I just called because I'm bored and not doing anything."_

_**"So, how are you? It's been a while since we've all talked like this."**  
><em>

_"Weeeell, I'm finally on the Grand Line!"_

_**"That's great, Luce!"**  
><em>

_**"Good work, Shrimp!"**_

_"Don't call me Shrimp!"_

_**"Are you having a fun time?"**_

_**"I waaaas, until I had to set course to Whiskey Peak."**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**"WHY?"**_

_"You all said it in unison. Lol."_

_**"This ain't no laughing matter, Luce!"**  
><em>

_**"I agree with Fire-Head, Shrimp!"**_

_**"Lucy! Doesn't your crew know about your past?"**_

_"All of you should know more than anything I live for the moment, not dwelling on the past."_

_**"They deserve to know, Lucy."**  
><em>

_**"Eraquor's right, Luce. You'll need to tell them eventually."**_

_"I'll call you all later. See ya."_

_**"See ya Luce."**  
><em>

_**"Bye Lucy."**_

_**"Catch ya later, Shrimp."**_

Lucy sighed as she cut their telepathic line. She loved her siblings to death, but they really could nag her. It's not a priority to tell them. She stood up.

"Is Zoro done yet?" With that said, she began her search for Zoro. She eventually found him ready to engage in a fight with a man and woman, Ms. Wednesday and a duck behind him.

"Zoro!" she yelled, catching his attention. He looked over and smirked.

"If you came over to help me with my half, it's not necessary, or do you owe that girl money, too?"

"No, I don't owe Nami anything, but what's going on?" she asked. "How come you're protecting Ms. Wednesday?" The two pounced at her, which she only responded by holding them by their heads and squeezing until their heads were bleeding severely. Ms. Wednesday watched in horror while Zoro only nodded in acknowledgment. They were thrown to the side.

"Now," Lucy said. "Just what is going on?"

"It's a chance for a million Berri," Nami said, stepping over the two knocked out people.

"What're you talking about?" Ms. Wednesday asked. "Why're you helping me?"

"That's right. We have to talk," Nami said to her. "How about a negotiation?"

"Negotiation?"

~.~

After finding shelter and Nami explaining the situation, everything was resolved and Lucy smiled at Vivi. She was glad that she wasn't a legit member of the organization.

"That's impossible," Vivi said. "But thanks for saving my life."

"Why? Aren't you a princess?" Nami asked. "It's just a million Berri."

"Have you heard of Alabasta?" Nami and Zoro shook their heads.

"I have," Lucy said. Everyone looked at Lucy with surprise.

"If you're the princess, then why're you here when your country is in the middle of a civil war?" Lucy asked. The other two looked shocked she actually knew something useful.

"Civil war?" Nami asked.

"Yes. For two or three years now, our country has been in a civil war," Vivi said. "The citizens started to disturb the peace of our nation. One day, I heard about an organization called 'Baroque Works'. All I know is that the citizens were persuaded by this organization of something. That's about all we know, so there's nothing we can do. So, I asked Egarum, or 'Mr. Eight', who had taken care of me since I was little, to help me to try and dig up the secrets that were unknown to us, and find who was leading this organization and their purpose."

"You are a brave princess," Zoro complimented. Lucy nodded in agreement. She hadn't known there was someone who had joined that organization for a similar goal she had.

"The main goal of this organization is to create a 'dream world', right? That doesn't sound right," Nami added.

"That's right. The boss uses the term 'dream world' to control all of them," Vivi said. "But the true goal is to conquer Alabasta. I have to save everyone, if not, we'll all fall under Baroque's plan."

"I get it now," Nami said. "A chaotic country wouldn't have much money, right?"

"I've known about Baroque Works for a long time...and its boss," Lucy admitted, shocking everyone.

"Since we're already in trouble with Baroque Works here, I might as well explain the fact that the boss's name is Crocodile." Everyone blinked.

"You can't be serious..." Nami said.

"Who is Crocodile?" Zoro asked.

"Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords," Lucy said. Vivi looked at her.

"Why would you say that out loud?" Vivi asked. "If you know that, then you will be hunted down by Baroque!"

"It was bound to happen eventually," Lucy added. It was then that the Unluckies showed up and then flew away. Nami went into a big fit about them.

"Those were the Unluckies," Lucy said.

"How do you know so much about Baroque Works? Didn't you just arrive on the Grand Line?" Vivi asked. The other two nodded, now curious.

"Let's not focus on that now," Lucy said. "We have to focus on just what to do now." It was then that Egarum came dressed as Vivi and explained his plan to act as a decoy, and for them to meet up in Alabasta. As he set off, there was an explosion from his ship. They were all horrified but knew if they didn't leave, it would be in vain, so they left, Lucy grabbing Usopp and Sanji and running toward the ship in a frenzy. It was there that they set sail, Nami explaining the situation to Usopp and Sanji, before a certain lady came to visit. She went by the code name Ms. All Sunday. Lucy held her red eyes and scythe pointed it at her, the other crew members following her example.

"Those things are dangerous," she said with a sigh. "Don't point them at me." With that, she flipped Sanji and Usopp to the main deck.

"Calm down!" she said. "I haven't received orders yet, so I have no reason to attack you." She threw an eternal post to them.

"If you follow that eternal post, the island after the one this leads you to is Alabasta. Not even boss knows this route, so he can't follow you." Everyone had mixed reactions to this, before Lucy crushed it and said she had no right to decide their route. As Ms. All Sunday left.

"Lucy," Nami said. "There are some things I'd like for you to explain. We'll talk it over breakfast."

Lucy shuddered. This could only mean one thing. Shit.

~.~

**And there you have it. :D Just to let you know, I'm not going to be updating tomorrow or Tuesday due to major last minute studying for the exam. Also, I know some of you will wnat to know why I decided her nickname to be Ms. Good Friday, and that's because I love Easter and Good Friday is very important to Easter, and I wanted her name to kind of represent how she's opposite from the Unluckies and how her intentions are good. Her partner is Mr. 6, and I decided it to be that since Good Friday was on March 6. Remember to R&R for cookies! Peace out viewers! :D**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_angelvan105_**

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**_elric_**

_"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."_

_-Thomas Jefferson_


	37. The Interrogation!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi everyone! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, here's chapter 37!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

_**Chapter 37: The Interrogation!**_

Lucy fidgeted in her seat in the kitchen. After Nami's comment, Lucy shook her head to breakfast, suddenly losing her appetite. Everyone aside from Vivi was shocked. Was she really that upset about talking about the topic? Nami set down her fork and studied Lucy carefully, slowly chewing her pancake. Lucy looked at her hands, fiddling with them. Her hat hid her expression. It stayed in this suspensful state for a while, until Sanji broke the silence.

"Shall we start?" Sanji asked. Lucy stiffened, and she suddenly stopped fiddling with her hands. She started shaking slightly.

"I want to know what I've seen," Sanji said.

"And what have you seen that you want explained?" Lucy asked, taking her straw hat from her head into her hands.

"I'll start from the beginning," he said. "After you defeated Don Krieg, you fell into the ocean and fell unconscious."Zoro raised an eyebrow and looked at Lucy, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Lucy nodded, absorbing the information.

"And when I was carrying you back up to the surface, you placed your palm on my forehead," Lucy froze. Her eyes were slightly wider and her hands were shaking slightly harder. It was as if she recognized what she did.

"And I had...a vision." Everyone looked at Lucy expectantly.

"Y-Yeah..." Lucy stuttered. "That was Phelemeon." Sanji raised a brow.

"I thought Phelemeon only gave _you_ visions," Nami stated. Lucy nodded.

"It also allows me to transmit visions, so that the person who recieves the vision will see what they want to see," Lucy explained. Sanji nodded.

"I want to ask you something," Zoro said. "At Arlong Park, you used a power _none_ of us had ever seen before." He studied Lucy's reaction as her hands clenched and bit her lip. A bead of sweat fell down her temple.

"I..." Lucy didn't respond. The room was silent as she waited for her to jumble some words together. No matter how much it pained the Mugiwaras to see their captain not in her usual happy-go-lucky state, but their curiosity had won them over. It was then that, aside from Sanji, the Mugiwaras remembered her previous panic attack, and that it was possible she could enter such a state again. Their sudden realization hit Nami, Zoro, and Usopp's faces. They stood up.

"Y-You don't have to tell us, Lucy!" Nami exclaimed.

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah, w-w-we don't have to know!" Usopp said, his knees shaking their dramatic coward shake. Lucy looked up in surprise. Her eyes shined with gratitude as she ran out of the kitchen with an appreciative smile. Sanji and Vivi looked up with questionable looks. Nami sighed.

"Lucy has a power called Phelemeon that lets her see the future and the past, and you all just heard about the new part she apparently has," Nami said. "Some time ago, when Usopp had just joined the crew, Lucy had a severe panic attack about the visions she was having." It took a minute for the information to soak into Sanji and Vivi, and when it did, their faces wore shocked expressions. Nami's eyes narrowed.

"I'm suspicious as to just how much she's hiding from us," Usopp said. Nami nodded in agreement. Zoro stood silent to the situation. He didn't want to suspect his captain, but he too was starting to get curious of what she was hiding. He walked out of the kitchen to the deck, where Lucy was at. Her eyes looked lost, as if thinking really hard on something. He walked up behind her.

"Lucy," he said, grabbing her attention. Lucy smiled.

"Yeah, Zoro?" she asked. Zoro didn't reply as he sat on the deck. Lucy sat in his lap, causing Zoro to blush slightly, but he showed that he accepted it by wrapping his arms around her waist. They stayed like this until they heard giggles. Zoro's eyebrows twitched as Nami and Vivi giggled.

"Are they a couple?" Vivi asked. Zoro's blushed climaxed to a new shade of red, while Lucy giggled.

"Silly Vivi," Lucy said. "He's my nakama!" Everyone sweat-dropped at just how dense she proved to be. Zoro gave them a 'Yeah, she tortures me just by being dense' look. Sanji glared at Zoro, and then electricity spilled from their eyes as a glare-fest was begun. Lucy nuzzled into Zoro's neck.

"It seems we've arrived," Nami said, and they all turned to see another island in front of their eyes. Lucy stood at the rails in excitement, much to Zoro's disappointment.

"So that's the second island of the Grand Line!" Lucy exclaimed, and Zoro couldn't help but chuckle from her childness.

"Be careful," Vivi said. "I'm worried about what Ms. All Sunday said."

"Will there be monsters here?" Usopp asked.

"Dunno," Zoro said.

"But we have to find more food, because I didn't buy anything from the last town," Sanji said.

"This looks like a tropical forest," Lucy said. "A magic forest."

"Its name is Little Garden," Vivi said.

"And how come it's not as cute as its name?" Nami questioned.

"And it's not even little," Zoro said.

"I've never seen these kind of trees before," Nami said.

_**!**_

"What was that?" Nami asked, fear etched across her face.

"Nami's so cute," Sanji said, smoke coming out of his mouth. "It was just a bird, and this place seems normal, so don't worry."

Lucy took a closer look from the source of the sound, "A gecko?" The sound roared again through the forest.

"Are these sounds from a normal forest?" Nami asked, the fear rippling through her even more.

"IT SOUNDS LIKE A VOLCANO ERUPTION!" Usopp exaggerated with hands covering his ears. They heard growling coming from the ship's side.

"A tiger?" That was when they saw a tiger falling into the river, blood flowing out its body excessively.

"THIS CAN'T BE A NORMAL FOREST!" Nami yelled. "SINCE WHEN DOES THE TIGER DIE BLEEDING? I've decided we're not entering here. We're only staying here until the magnetic field is set, and then sail to Alabasta.

"Sanji, prepare a pirate bento," Lucy said. "I smell the scent of adventure!"

"Wait a second!" Nami yelled. "Just where're you going?"

"An adventure!" Lucy exclaimed. "Wanna come?" Nami anime-cryed as she exitted the ship with her bento. Vivi joined her with Galu. Zoro also decided to leave, and argued with Sanji, both eventually deciding to have a hunting contest and left in a frenzy. Nami cried more anime tears with Usopp, both wondering why they were the only sane ones.

~.~

Lucy, Vivi, and Galu stared up in shock.

"Why is there a sea monster on land?" Lucy asked, fixing her hat.

"Dinosaur!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Dinosaur!" Lucy echoed, except with excitement in her voice instead of fear.

"This place must be ancient," Vivi said.

"Ancient?" Lucy questioned.

"This island is still in the dinosaur era," Vivi said. She explained how this island must've been uncivilized for thousands of years.

"Cool~" Lucy said. A grin plastered her face. She had an idea.

~.~

**Done with another chapter! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, internet connection problems, again. -.-' Also, sorry this chapter was so short, I was kind of in a hurry to finish. Anyway, the exam was easier than I expected, but I'm still anxious as to how I did. Remember to R&R, and I'll see ya next time! Peace out, viewers! ;D**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Random Wanderer**_

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_**Milk Honey**_

_"Being deeply loved gives you strength, whi__le loving someone deeply gives you courage."_

_-Lao Tzu_


	38. Sake Bombing!

**Wolfy-tan: Welcome viewers! Here's chapter 38!**

**Disclaimer: I will never own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 38: Sake Bombing!**_

"What is this?" Zoro asked himself, annoyed. He inspected the dinosaur that stood in front of him, not moving.

"Is it edible?"

~.~

"What a great view!" Lucy said, relaxed as she sat on the head of the dinosaur with a long neck. She absorbed the view with a sense of appreciation and realism.

"Be careful!" Vivi yelled up. "Even if it's tame, it's still a dinosaur!"

"Don't worry! This guy's vegetarian," Lucy shouted down. "Besides, I don't think he's seen me yet." That was when the dinosaur propped his head, causing Lucy to go aero, and the dinosaur to pop her into his mouth. Vivi let out a scream when she heard it go 'gulp'. Vivi froze when she heard the sound of slicing and Lucy falling out of a chopped neck of the dinosaur. She was in awe and fear as she studied the giant before her. She listened as she heard the giant laugh a heartful laugh.

"What a cheerful person you are," the giant said as he held Lucy in his palm. "I haven't met someone like you for a long time!"

"Whoa! A giant!" Lucy exlcaimed as she sat on its palm. He laughed.

"I am Dorry, the greatest warrior of Elbaf!" he exclaimed. "I'd like to ask all of you to visit my house."

~.~

_Some Time Later..._

"This meat is good, Mr. Giant," Lucy said. He laughed again.

"Your bento is good, too," he said as he ate the bento. "But it's just too small."

"It must be good, or I'll beat you up!" Lucy exlcaimed. Dorry laughed.

"You are a very interesting person!" Dorry complimented.

"It looks like they've been friends for years," Vivi said, sweat-dropping. Galu merely sipped his cup that was hung around his neck, and gave Vivi a curious look.

"By the way, why're you alone?" Lucy questioned, stuffing more dinosaur meat into her mouth. "Don't you have a village or something?"

"I have a village, too. It's called Elbaf, and it's located somewhere on the Grand Line," he said. "But we have a rule in our village." Dorry explained the rule of Elbaf, and how the two giants fight so the righteous one can go home.

"However it's been a hundred years, and we still haven't found the result!" Dorry exclaimed with a laugh.

"You fought a hundred years ago?" Lucy said, her face expressing shock.

"Don't panic; our lifespan is three times greater than a human's," Dorry said, laughing.

"Still, you should've forgotten about the cause by now!" Vivi exclaimed. "What will you get from this fight? It's just another name for murder!" A volcano stopped their conversation as Dorry stood.

"I must be going now," he said. "It's fighting time again. A volcano eruption is the signal to start the fight." Vivi was not afraid voice her protests, but Lucy held her hand out to her to signal to stop.

"This is no longer about what solving their conflict," Lucy said.

"That's right," Dorry said. "It's about pride. I've forgotten what caused this fight." With that, Dorry's battle with the other giant commenced. Lucy laid back on the grass as she watched the battle with awe. In the end, they both fell to the ground, the fight ending in a tie. The two giants laughed together and seemed to be having a small conversation. When Dorry returned, he had sake in his hands. He said he got some from the other giant 'Brogy', who had gotten it from guests: a long-nosed man and orangette girl. Lucy explained that they were part of her crew.

"Ano, Mister Dorry," Vivi said. "You said it would take a year for the log post to ready, right?" Dorry nodded and explained how the humans who came to Little Garden died differently when waiting a year, and how some would even try to attack the two giants.

"What am I going to do to survive for one year?" Vivi asked as she buried her face in her hands. "I won't know what will become of my country by that time!"

"One year? That's too much," Lucy said. "Isn't there any other way?"

"There is an eternal post here on Little Garden that will guide you to Little Garden, but that's what us giants are fighting for," Dorry said. "Are you going to try to take it from me?"

"No, because we don't want to go there," Lucy explained. "We have to get to the next island."

"If we can't get to Alabasta, it will mean nothing," Vivi said, looking at the ground. Dorry laughed and took a swig of his sake.

"Why not take a risk, then?" he suggested. "If you're lucky, you'll get there!" Lucy joined in the laughter.

"That's true. Why don't I do that, then? We'll eventually get there!"

"You're really funny!"

"Ano..." Vivi murmured, sweat-dropping again. Then Vivi, Galu, and Lucy all looked at Dorry in shock when an exploding noise was heard.

"The sake exploded!" Lucy exclaimed in shock. Dorry fell back with a large thud.

"MISTER GIANT!"

"MISTER DORRY!"

Lucy climbed up onto his chest and looked at him. "Are you okay? Why did the sake explode? Is this sake from our ship?"

"The sake exploded inside the body! What a dirty trick!" Vivi exclaimed. "Did that other giant put the bomb in the sake?" Lucy glared at Vivi.

"What are you talking about? They've been fighting for a hundred years!" Lucy spat. "Why would he do that now?"

"Then who was it?" Vivi questioned. They were so heated in the conversation, they didn't notice Dorry sit up.

"It must've been you!" Dorry yelled. He wore a crazed look in his eyes. He let out a cough.

"This is not Brogy's work," Dorry said. "We are proud warriors of Elbaf. Aside from you, I suspect no one else." Lucy shot Dorry a glare.

"Let's get out of here!" Vivi demanded. "He won't listen to anything we say!"

"It's useless to run now," Lucy said. She handed Vivi her straw hat. "Will you hold onto this, and get out of the way?"

"You want to fight him? Are you crazy?" Vivi interrogated. "The size difference is huge!"

"Sorry mister," Lucy said. She pulled her hair into a ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way and cracked her knuckles. "It seems I have to put you to sleep." A suspenseful silence loomed over, until Vivi broke the ice.

"Listen to me, Mister Dorry! We know nothing about the exploding sake!" she shouted desperately. "So, don't fight! If you don't rest, your condition will only get worse!" Alas, her desperate pleas were ignored by the two adventurers, for they were getting into their stances.

"You really got me mad!" Dorry exclaimed. "You used a dirty trick against me!" Dorry charged and Lucy jumped to the air. Dorry charged his sword at her, but she dodged and used her rubber powers to stretch her arms and grab onto Dorry's arm. She flew in front of him.

"Rubber Pistol!" Unfortunately, she wasn't given the chance to attack, for Dorry used his shield to knock her to the ground. Before she stopped skidding along the ground, she grabbed ahold of a tree and flew to it, dodging a blow from Dorry's large sword. Lucy bended the tree as she flew past it and suddenly stopped. She muttered an apology before continuing.

"Rubber Rocket!" she exclaimed as she rammed into his chest with amazing strength. He cocked his head back with blood spilling from his mouth. When Lucy was looming back to the ground, Dorry stomped his foot, crushing her between his oversized shoe and the cold ground below. Dorry panted as he stood stubbornly.

"MISS LUCY!" Vivi yelled.

"I...underestimated you," he said, his knees hitting the ground. "A person with a devil fruit...but...I believe there is something more to her than that..." he collapsed finally, his foot shifting, allowing Lucy to have air again. She sat up, covering all of her features. Vivi rushed to Lucy.

"Miss Lucy!" she yelled, running to her. "Are you okay?"

"How is he?" Lucy asked, referring to Dorry.

"I think he's okay," Vivi said. "But if you didn't do that, he just would've continued."

Lucy placed her hat on her head, "I'm very upset about this. That other giant didn't do this, but my friends would never do this, either! There must be someone else on this island." It was then she had an achingly familiar pain spike up in her head. It was all too familiar. Her eyesight began to fade. Black began to seep into her vision. The pain of brain cells destroying made Lucy want to scream at the top of her lungs. Everything turned blurry and she started seeing two of everything. The black completely consumed her eyesight as she fell into unconsciousness. A thin white line was drawn with lightning speed in the middle of the black. The white line soon completely flashed over the black, but soon the black returned, indicating this wouldn't be a visual vision, but a vision that would require her to listen to the words that played into her mind. She soon heard the voices of her vision.

_You are back so soon, Mister Five?_

_You really are skilled to build a house in the middle of the forest. However, let me tell you something. This job is still ours, so you better not get involved._

_Because we won't lose again!_

_Lose? I don't think so. You're just weak!_

_What did you say?_

_We just underestimated them, that's all! We didn't know the pirates were protecting the princess!_

_You didn't know? What a lame excuse you have. Remember that we are professionals. If we lose and let our enemies live, it means that our organization would be revealed to the world. So, when we get an order, we have to complete it! However, since you came here, I will give thirty percent of the work to you. If you won't accept this job, I will erase you two from the world right now._

_...!_

_Mister Five, Miss Valentine, you don't have to be so formal about it. Here, have some tea. This is a very special occasion because on this island, we have another big job, too. I thought you saw that already._

_A job?_

_I should thank the both of you for giving me the chance to come to this island. Here, look at this wanted list. I was surprised at first. This is a list from a hundred years ago, when the Giant Pirates were causing turmoil all around the world. The leaders of this pirate group are those two giants that live on this island. They were known as "Green Giant Dorry" and "Red Giant Brogy", but that's history. Right now, both of them are living here on this island. The marines still want them. Each of them are one hundred million Berri. In total, two hundred million Berri._

_Two hundred million Berri!_

_Do you realize how huge this job is? If we can accomplish this job and get two hundred million Berri, we will all get promotions._

_So that's why you asked me to put the bomb in the sake._

_That's right. If we can't use trickery, we can't beat them. As long as you follow my orders, everything should turn out fine. If you know how to adapt your strategy, you can accomplish everything._

The dark was gone in a flash, and her eyes were wide open. As soon as she woke, the volcano erupted. Dorry got up to leave.

"Wait, don't go!" Vivi pleaded. "You're seriously injured! If you don't rest, you'll die!"

"I am a warrior, don't worry," he said. He let out a few coughs. "I at least have to fight in the honor of Elbaf."

~.~

**Congratulations! You've seen the process of Lucy's visions! Anyways, sorry I didn't update yesterday, I accidentally deleted all but around two hundred words of my work, so I couldn't get it up by that night. I again apologize. Anyway, I got my grade back on the final, and I got the grade I expected from myself: 72%. Despite that, I've somehow been able to still make it to Geometry. How, I don't know. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**elric**_

_**angelvan105**_

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_**Kirin's horns**_

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_"A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up. It's all a matter of pride."_

_-Nancy Lopez_


	39. A Visit from Mr 5 and Ms Valentine!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello once again, viewers! Here is chapter 39!**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEW TIME ^.^: (If you ask something directly or just say something that I feel must be explained, I am beginning this so you can ask those questions. If you have a question, please state so directly when reviewing. I can't give away spoilers, though.:P)**

**Acolyte of the Blood Moon: Well, I'm sort of doing this based on scannings of the manga on the internet, so I'm doing this based on those. The internet is a magical place :D**

**Disclaimer: I will never own One Piece. :(**

_**Chapter 39: A Visit from Mister Five and Miss Valentine!**_

"LET ME OUT OF HERE, MISTER GIANT!" Lucy yelled, flailing her arms. Dorry had put a large skull of a monster atop her to keep her from getting up.

"I can't stop," Dorry said. "Even though it has been a hundred years and we're still fighting. When we begin it, we can't escape from it. Otherwise, it would mean we're trying to escape being true warriors. If I lose this feeling, I wouldn't be myself anymore. I'm sorry to of suspected you."

"Stop this!" Lucy yelled. "Someone else is doing this! I know who!"

"Shut up," he said. "You've only been around for ten or twenty years. You would not understand." With that, he walked to the battle. Lucy pounded her fist on the ground.

"DAMN IT!" she yelled.

"Lucy, you said you know who did this," Vivi said. "How?"

"I had a vision," she said. Vivi looked at her with surprise. Then she remembered Nami talking about her visions.

"Apparently, Mister Five and Miss Valentine are here, along with someone else," she said. Vivi's eyes widened. She suddenly noticed a lack of presence.

"Where is Galu?" she asked. A bead of sweat fell down her temple.

~.~

"I must be lost."

Zoro placed his free hand on the tree, his other dragging the horn of the dinosaur he killed not too long ago.

"I think I already saw this tree already. The tree with Liana all around it." That was when he noticed the presence of another. He turned to see Nami.

"Hey, Nami! I was just worrying about how to get to the ship," he said, grinning. He walked toward her, dragging the dinosaur.

"By the way, why're you here?" He asked, only for no answer. "Oi?"

~.~

While Lucy and Vivi were trying to figure out how to get Lucy out of there, Usopp fly in from nowhere.

"We're in big trouble!" he exclaimed. "Nami was eaten by a dinosaur!" Lucy's face fell even more.

"Is that true?" she yelled.

"We were running out of the jungle, and she suddenly disappeared!" Usopp explained. "What am I going to do? I let her die!"

"Wait a sec, calm down," Vivi said. "You said she suddenly disappeared. Did you check the surrounding area?"

"I'M SCARED TO DEATH! HOW CAN I CHECK?" Usopp yelled. "IF IT WASN'T A DINOSAUR, IT HAD TO BE SOME KIND OF MONSTER! WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?"

"Baroque Works," Lucy responded from under the skeleton. Vivi nodded in agreement.

"Lucy had a vision of a conversation between Baroque Works agents. We know that Mister Five and Miss Valentine are here, along with another pair, who are most likely their higher-ups," Vivi explained. "Besides, that sake might've been meant for us."

"Sake? What was wrong with the sake?" Usopp questioned.

Some time of explaining later...

"WHAT? THE SAKE EXPLODED IN HIS STOMACH?" Usopp fretted. Usopp vocalized his negativity against their one hundred years of fighting ending for a stupid reason.

"It wasn't meant for us," Lucy said. "In the conversation between the agents, the mystery man explained that the two giants had a total bounty of two hundred million Berris, and that they were going to use trickery to beat them, to get promotions." That was when they saw a large amount of blood spurt up into the sky. Lucy's eyes widened and bit her lip. She pounded her fists.

"YOU'LL PAY, BAROQUE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Lucy," Usopp said. "I don't care who did this, but I'll take care of them! They ruined everything for those giants!"

"I will help you," Vivi said. Usopp's knees began their coward shake.

"Very good! You are brave! Just follow me!" Usopp said. Lucy glared in front of her.

"It's _you_!" she exclaimed, looking at the two figures. Mister Five walked up and threw a beaten Galu on the ground.

"I want to return this thing to you because it is no longer necessary," Mister Five said coldly. Miss Valentine laughed.

"GALU!" Vivi yelled. "WHY DID YOU HURT GALU? HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!"

"Who are they?" Usopp asked, confused.

"Mister Five and Miss Valentine," Lucy explained.

"You're right," he responded. "He didn't do anything. The most dangerous of you all is that girl over there," he said, looking at Lucy, who was glaring at him. "And, you are always with him, so we tried making this duck cry for your help! But the bird really pissed me off! Anyway, it seems the kid can't move anymore, so there's no more reason to execute that plan." Vivi ran and kneeled next to Galu.

"Galu!" she said. He responded with a painful quack. Vivi glared at them. "You! You're the ones who put the bomb in the sake!"

"Yes. So what?" Mister Five questioned. Mister Five looked at Usopp.

"Is he on the list, too?" he asked Miss Valentine.

"No, but he's one of their friends, so we should kill him, too," she responded.

"You destroyed the honor of the giants' battle!" Usopp stated.

"Prepare to die!" Vivi yelled, getting her weapons.

"So you plan on doing something, Miss Wednesday?" Mister Five asked.

"You think you can hurt us?" Miss Valentine chimed in.

"Killing Fang!"

"Explosive Pachinko!"

.

.

.

"That's very explosive!" Mister Five said through the explosion. "Mucus Bomb!"

"Usopp!" Lucy yelled.

"Ten Thousand Kilogram Weight!" Miss Valentine yelled, tackling Usopp. Mister Five picked up Vivi by her neck.

"Don't worry, we won't kill you right now," Mister Five said. "We just came here to take you. That's what Mister Three wants us to do."

"He's here, too?" Vivi asked. "The man who ate the Candle Fruit?"

"That's right," he said. "He was also known as the 'Candle Man'." Mister Five handed her to Miss Valentine, who made sure to hurt her when she squirmed. Vivi whimpered from the pain.

"You better stay still," she said with a smirk. "Do you think you can escape from Baroque Work?" Vivi looked at the others, who were all practically burnt to a crisp.

"Her head is worth thirty million Berri?" Miss Valentine questioned. "She's nothing more but trash."

"I feel very good about payback from Whiskey Peak," Mister Five said. He walked to Lucy.

"If you want to be a real pirate, you shouldn't risk your life for someone," he told her. "By now, all of your friends may be caught."

"You caught Zoro?" she questioned. "You would've been cut to pieces."

"You still have the strength to babble?" Mister Five said in slight surprise. Lucy stuck out her tongue.

"You suck!" she said. Mister Five stomped on her with his exploding foot.

"Just go and die!" he yelled.

"MISS LUCY!" Vivi yelled.

"Just die!" Mister Five repeated. Lucy's arm was now bleeding, her head on the ground.

"Serves you right," Mister Five said.

"Miss Lucy!" Vivi yelled again. Miss Valentine laughed.

"Let's go, Miss Valentine," Mister Five said. They began to walk away, the princess in hand.

"Mister Usopp! Galu!" Vivi yelled. They were soon gone.

"Will you forgive them, Usopp?" Lucy asked.

"No way," he answered. Lucy looked to Galu.

"Do you want revenge, too?" she asked. He responded with a confident quack and a determined twinkle in his eyes.

"Alright, let's go, then!" Lucy said with a grin. "Let's crush those people into the ground."

~.~

**Hello again! Sorry for the short chapter, I don't know why, but I just wasn't into the writing today. Tomorrow will be better, I promise! Speaking of tomorrow, tomorrow is my last day of school. I thought the last day was on Friday, because, you know, it's a Friday, but my school has dumb moments sometimes and decided to make it Monday. Yeah, I don't get it either. Remember if you have a question, review so I can explain it next chapter. I'll also be changing the title and summary tomorrow before posting the next chapter so it can match the plot better. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_angelvan105_  
><strong>

**_Acolyte of the Blood Moon_**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**_elric_**

**_Mimi522_**

**_LazyFoxLover_**

**_tooooo lazy to login it_**

**_IndigoButterfly_**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_"Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, they don't have brains enough to be honest."_**  
><strong>

_-Benjamin Franklin_


	40. Kicking Baroque Out!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! IT'S SUMMER BREAK and here's chapter 40!**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:**

_**IndigoButterfly**_**: Because if I did do that, the plot would be even more thrown off then it already is XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

_**Chapter 40: Kicking Baroque Out!**_

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Lucy and Usopp shouted, Galu quacking wildly as they jumped into the scene. Unfortunately, they crashed into the trees from their massive leap. They all emerged from their crash.

"Let's take care of them, Usopp and Galu!" Lucy said, adjusting her cap. Usopp responded with a 'yeah', Galu with a confident quack.

"Lucy! Usopp!" Nami exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

"Galu!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Brogy-sensei! I will take revenge for you!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Usopp," Brogy muttered.

"JUST CRUSH THOSE GUYS TO THE GROUND AND KICK THEM OUT OF HERE!" Nami shouted to them. Lucy cracked her knuckles.

"Right! I will take care of all of them because they have destroyed the pride of these giants' battle," Lucy said, determination laced in her eyes.

"So you are the girl who is worth the most in the East Blue?" Mister Three asked. "The marines must be going down."

"You mean you don't recognize me?" Lucy asked, a smirk evident. Everyone raised a brow.

"It has been a while, Mister Three," Lucy smirked. Mister Three's eyes glistened with realization. Lucy nodded. She kicked the dirt slightly, hand on her hat.

"I believe it's time we finished this," Lucy said. Mister Three nodded in agreement, a smirk plastered.

"Lucy!" Nami yelled. "First, can you destroy this ple before we become complete candle dolls!"

"Eh? You guys are in trouble?" Lucy asked.

"Not really," Zoro said.

"There's a lot of blood coming out of your legs," Nami said.

"That's right. I cut both of them halfway," Zoro said.

"And you say that we're not in trouble!" Nami barked.

"Anyway," Zoro said. "Can you destroy the pole, Lucy? I'll take care of the rest."

"Sure," she said.

"I won't allow you to do that," Mister Three said with a smirk.

"Why do you always have a taste for pained candle dolls, Mister Three?" Lucy sighed. "No matter, I will destroy it."

"Right!" Usopp exclaimed. "Today, I'm not same person I used to be."

"Hurry up before we become candles!" Nami yelled. She turned to Zoro, who had his katana raised. "What are you doing?"

"In case we become candles, I will have a nice pose," he responded.

"This is no time to be joking," Vivi complained.

"By the way, your idea about cutting your legs was so stupid," Nami critisized.

"I cut my legs to fight them, not escape from them," Zoro said.

"That's even crazier!"

"Shut up!"

"Look Mister Three, they're not worrying at all," Miss Golden Week said, pointing to them while munching on her snack.

"You're no different from them, Miss Golden Week," Mister Three said, sweat-dropping. His face turned serious.

"They are insulting us," he said. "That's very annoying."

"Mister Three, we already killed her!" Mister Five said.

"Killed her? Look at her? You guys suck!" Mister Five complained. "At least I know she's stronger than you. Why don't you just take care of the other scum? I will turn that..._girl_ into a candle doll!"

"I am very annoyed by your babbling," Usopp complained. "Don't worry, I will kill you all." Galu quacked in approval. The two hid behind trees.

"Lucy! I'll help you from behind," he said, his hands shaking.

"Huh?" Lucy said, looking behind her.

"Candle Lock!" Mister Three yelled, locking Lucy's ankles to knees in candle wax.

"She was caught!" Vivi yelled. "Miss Lucy!"

"My legs look like a hammer," Lucy noted. "It fits very well."

"You really suck," Mister Three said. "Next will be your arms! Candle Lock!" Lucy dodged it and used her rubber power to wrap her arm around the candle wax sword jammed in Brogy's hand.

"Sorry, Mister Giant," Lucy said. Her arm unwhirled from the sword, causing pain in Brogy's hand, and smashed into the pole using the candle wax on her legs.

"Rubber Hammer!" she yelled.

"She broke the pole!" Nami exclaimed.

"Great!" Lucy said. "The hammer on my legs broke, too." She turned to her three trapped nakama, only to see her nakama had not changed. A small 'eh' escaped her lips.

"It looks like you guys are getting even worse," Lucy noted. Mister Three let out a hysterical laugh.

"The closer the candle is to you, the faster you become my candle dolls!" Mister Three exclaimed. Lucy prepared to attack the candles spinning, until Mister Three tried to intervene.

"I won't allow you to get involved!" Mister Three yelled, preparing candle wax. "Candle Harpoon!"

"Explosive Pachinko!" Usopp yelled, launching his attack. Mister Five went in front of Mister Three and absorbed the attack. Lucy jumped up, dodging Mister Three's candle attack.

"Alright!" Lucy yelled. "I have to destroy that spinny pumpkin. Rubber Bazooka!"

"Candle Wall!" Mister Three yelled, blocking Lucy's attack. He prepared his attack again. "Candle Lock!"

Lucy shifted so it would get her hand. She smirked. "Alright. I have my hammer again."

"Crap!" he yelled. "Candle Wall!"

"Rubber Hammer!" she yelled, breaking the candle wall and sending Mister Three flying.

"Alright Lucy! Now break the pumpkin!" Nami said, a smile on her face.

"No."

"Stop fooling around! Hurry up!"

"No."

"What?"

"Lucy! This is not the time to play!"

"What should I do? I don't even feel like helping you," Lucy said.

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked.

"Color Trap," Miss Golden Week murmured. Unfortunately, she was not heard.

"We don't have time, Lucy!" Zoro shouted. He didn't like yelling at her, but they were in a tight situation here, and she was acting strange! "Hurry up and destroy the pumpkin!"

"I know," Lucy said. "I know, but I don't want to do it."

"What are you talking about? We're almost candles here!" Nami yelled. "That means we're going to die! Don't you get it?"

"Understand. I just don't want to do it."

"THE PROBLEM IS NOT WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO OR NOT!" Nami yelled. By now, all three had a vein popped.

"Miss Golden Week..." Vivi murmured. "It must be you!"

"Color Trap," Miss Golden Week said, munching away. "Black: the color of betrayal. If any person is painted with this color, he or she won't care what their friends say."

"She is a portrait painter," Vivi said. "She can design it so a person will have a specific feeling based on the color she paints."

"Affect a person's mind? This is bad," Zoro said. "Because such a dense, innocent person like her is the most easy prey to something like that!"

"So as long as she's not on that sign, she'll be fine!" Nami said. "Lucy! Step away from that sign!"

"That's not gonna work!" Vivi intervined. "Lucy! Whatever you do, stay on that sign!"

"I won't listen to you," Lucy said, stepping out of the sign. Realization dawned her.

"I should've put my guard up better, knowing you were around, Miss Golden Week," Lucy said, her back to Miss Golden Week.

"Color Trap: A mixture between Blue, the color of sadness and Yellow, the color of fun: Green, the color of peace," Miss Golden Week said, quickly making her concoction of paint.

_'What speed!'_ Lucy thought. Before she knew it, she was sitting down, having tea with Miss Golden Week. Lucy closed her eyes, trying to break the color that laid on her back. Fortunately, Usopp appeared and shot a Fire Pachinko, unfortunately he forgot that she was a girl and could possibly reveal her...yeah. I think you get it by now. Fortunately, when her T-shirt burned, their was a black, sleeveless belly shirt underneath. He was surprised when he saw skin that seemed to have a heavenly glow, a slightly toned stomach, but not so she seemed masculine, a belly ring that had a strange glyph on it, and a larger chest then he last remembered. She stood up with a smirk.

"Thank you, Usopp!" she said.

"Explosive Breath!" Mister Five yelled, who had followed Usopp with Miss Valentine. Lucy stood in front of Usopp, and did something weird that seemed t reflect the attack so it'd hurl at the other two. Her eyes flashed red, but left as soon as the reflective barrier vanished. Of course, Mister Five absorbed the attack that was originally his.

"I refuse to let anyone die," Lucy said. "It's payback time!"

"Why're you angry now?" Mister Five questioned. "They're already finished!"

"No! They're alive!" Lucy barked.

"It's far too late for them," Mister Three said, now in a candle wax robot he created behind the scenes.

"Let's fight!"

"Outta the way!" Lucy yelled, her eyes flickering red. She sent a cold glare, and she held up her palm. The air whipped around her and shot the robot flying, practically. Her eyes looked to Usopp.

"Usopp! You can use fire to melt the candles, right?" Lucy asked. Usopp nodded. "Can you send a Fire Pachinko at them and melt them?" Usopp nodded and prepared his attack. Mister Five sent another attack, only for the reflective barrier to show up again. She gathered Bloody Reaper and used its power to craft wind to send the duo of Mister Five and Miss Valentine flying. Usopp shot his attack, and Lucy used the last drops of spiritual power to add and control her wind so the now dangerous fire whirled up and melted her three nakama. Lucy bit her lip.

"That looks really hot. I hope they're okay," she muttered to herself. Soon her three nakama emerged from the fire. Lucy's eyes shut. Thank goodness. But by now her power had basically drained her physical energy, her curse making it even worse. Lucy fell, and she prepared to feel herself hitting the ground, until strong arms wrapped around her waist. Fortunately, she was able to keep herself conscious, but not by much. Zoro picked her up bridal style, and Lucy nuzzled into his neck.

"Zoro..." she murmured silently. Zoro looked down at his she-cpatain. Her eyes were almost completely shut, her hands clutching at his shirt. As always she was as light as a feather, and as beautiful as a goddess. Nami and Vivi held onto their weapons securely, Nami wearing a smirk with mischeif dancing in her eyes, Vivi holding a straight face with skeptical eyes.

"Great to be alive, isn't it?" Zoro asked with a smirk.

"I guess you're right," Brogy said, standing up. Lucy closed her eyes, willing energy, to subdue those standing. They fell to the ground, leaving everyone else surprised at the suddenness. They looked down at Lucy, who was smiling.

"I did it..." she muttered. "I was able to avenge the giants' pride." Everyone smiled. It was Brogy's tears that made everyone remember about Dorry. Dorry sat up, his hand on the wound that Brogy caused.

"It seems I passed out for a while," he said.

"Dorry?" Brogy questioned. "Why're you...?"

"I think it's because our weapons," Dorry said. "Elbaf's weapons are meant to last for a long time, but not for a hundred year duel."

"I'm stunned," Usopp said. "A real miracle." Brogy gave Dorry a big bear hug.

"Oi, Brogy! Don't hug me so hard; it hurts my wounds," Dorry complained.

"I'm glad you're alive, my friend!" Brogy laughed. The duo playfully bickered as everyone smiled at their behavior.

~.~

**Alright, so I was trying to complete Little Garden, but I ran out of time. So this is what I give you! DA DAAAA! Anyways, I just got out on summer break! WHY DOES TIME GO SO FAST? It still feels like the beginning of the school year. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**elric**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**IndigoButterflly**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**LazyFoxLover**_

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_"On wrongs swift vengeance awaits."_

_-Alexander Pope_


	41. Down with a Fever!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello once again viewers! Here is chapter 41!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece! Gosh!**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka **_**&**_** LazyFoxLover**_**: You'll find out in this chapter. ^^**

_**Chapter 41: Down with a Fever!**_

"We want to repay you for saving our lives," Brogy said. Dorry laughed.

"I completely forgot the government wanted us!" Dorry exclaimed.

"Because of me, those people are coming to this island..." Vivi muttered. Nami pinched her cheek.

"Stop speaking such nonsense," Nami ordered. Meanwhile, Lucy was still wearing her belly shirt, and she was sitting next to Zoro, leaning him since she could hardly sit up for herself. Zoro didn't mind; in fact, he put his arm around help her sit up. Zoro looked down at his she-captain, and slightly blushed when she caught his stare. He looked away, and she giggled. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his strong chest. Then he remembered.

"But we need to wait a year for the log post to ready," he stated. "This is serious."

"That's right," Nami said. "This is no joke at all."

"Is there anything you guys can do, Mister Giant?" Lucy asked, opening her lids half, giving her a sleepy look.

"This is the one thing we can't control," Dorry said. Zoro silently shushed her and Lucy fell asleep. Her breathing evened as her chest rose and fell. Her eyelashes lightly tickled Zoro.

"NAMI-SAN! VIV-CHAN! LUCY! And others," They heard the familiar love-cook yell. Zoro tightened his grip around Lucy protectively and zoned out of the conversation. He tuned back in when he saw Sanji hold up an eternal post to Alabasta. Everyone, aside from Lucy and the giants, dropped their jaws at him. As the crew talked, Sanji approached Zoro. His eyes turned to hearts when he saw Lucy with her belly shirt, but glared at Zoro who had his arm around her while she was asleep.

"You better not be planning anything dirty," he said.

"YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM!" Zoro barked with anime fangs.

"By the way, you haven't forgotten about our hunting competition, right?" Sanji asked.

"I'll win for sure!" Zoro boasted. "I caught a huge rhinosaurus!"

"We should probably get going, then," Nami said. "By Mister Brogy, Mister Dorry!"

"It seems you're in a hurry," Brogy said.

"That's too bad, but we won't stop you," Dorry said. "I wish you good luck saving your country."

"Thank you," Vivi said.

"I will go to Elbaf one day," Usopp swore. Zoro nudged Lucy awake, who rubbed her eyes in a way that reminded him of a child. She sat up and I heard her mutter a small ouch. She looked at her stomach to see a bug bite. She pouted.

"I got a bug bite!" she exclaimed childishly.

"You'll be fine," Zoro said. He stood up and offered his hand, which she accepted politely, considering she was still kinda drowsy. We walked toward our ship, and it wasn't until I heard Nami and Vivi giggling at us that I realized I hadn't let go of her hand yet. Zoro and Sanji both brought in their hunted animals and argued over which dinosaur was larger. Soon they were both knocked upside the head by Nami. With that, they set sail. It was when they were about to exit the jungle that they saw the two giants at the edge of the island. Lucy, who was standing up with Zoro's assistance, noticed this.

"Look!" she pointed. "They've come to send us off!"

"What're they doing?" Nami questioned.

"We won't let anything happen to your flag," Dorry said.

"Trust us," Brogy said. "No matter what happens, we want you to keep going straight!"

"Understood," Lucy said, he face serious. "No matter what, we will head straight!"

"We shall meet again..."

"...Someday."

"Look at that!" Nami yelled.

"So you've come out," Dorry said. "Shima Kui."

"In the name of Elbaf, we will risk our lives to open the way for you!" Brogy exclaimed. With that, a Sea King came out.

"What's that?"

"It's a giant Sea King!"

"Hurry up and change the course or we'll be eaten!" Nami barked.

"That's huge! A giant goldfish? I think I've heard that before..." Usopp muttered the last part.

"Hurry up, Usopp!" Nami yelled.

"No!" Usopp said. "Right, Lucy?"

"Yup!" Lucy yelled. "Absolutely."

"Nami," Zoro said. "I think you'd better give up." Nami anime sobbed.

"Lucy, are you sure we can trust those giants?" Nami asked.

"Duh," Lucy said.

"Are you serious?" Vivi questioned. "That goldfish is heading right toward us!"

"It's too late now!" Nami cried. By now they were in its mouth.

"Heading straight!" Usopp cried.

"We were eaten!" Nami yelled. "Are you still saying that?"

"Heading straight!" Lucy joined. By then, a hole was blown in the fish by the giants and the Mugiwaras were once again sailing on the seas.

"Don't look back!" Lucy shouted. "We're going straight only!" But as they sailed more and more, Lucy became more and more tired. She sat against the mast since Zoro left to do his training.

"We're finally going to Alabasta," Lucy muttered. Vivi went and sat next to her and they chatted, until Lucy collapsed, sweating. Vivi felt her head.

"Everyone!" She yelled. "Something's wrong with Lucy! She has a high fever!"

Some Time Later...

"Is Lucy gonna die, Vivi-chwan?" Sanji asked, biting onto his handkerchief dramatically, tears swelling.

"It's possible it's the weather," Vivi said. "No matter how strong a pirate is, there are many that die from drastic weather changes. Even if it's just a cold, if you're not careful, you'll die." Vivi took out the thermometer and took her temperature.

"Fourty degrees Celsius?" Vivi said urgently. "Her fever is getting worse!"

"We can find a doctor in Alabasta. How long does it take to get from here to Alabasta, Vivi?" Usopp asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "But I don't think we can make it in a week." They stared at Lucy, who had a pained face.

"Is it really that bad?" Zoro asked.

"Most people can't survive one weak," Sanji and Usopp said in unison, their heads tilted.

"Are you guys

"You guys can see how much pain she's in," Vivi said. "Forty degrees Celsius is serious! We could lose her!"

Everyone, aside from Zoro and Nami, dropped their jaws dramatically. Zoro's eyes just widened while Nami frowned.

"LUCY'S GONNA DIE!" Usopp yelled.

"LUCY, YOU CAN'T DIE!" Sanji yelled.

"WE HAVE TO FIND A DOCTOR FOR HER!" Usopp ordered.

"Okay, okay! Just quiet down!" Vivi yelled. "Your yelling will just make it worse!"

"No," Lucy said, sitting up. "We can't; right, Nami?" Nami nodded and got a newspaper from the drawer.

"Lucy and I were looking through the newspaper when we found this," Nami said, pointing to a certain article in the newspaper. Vivi read through it.

"What is this?" she asked, beads of sweat rolling down her temple.

"What is it, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked.

"How could this happen?" she asked, staring at the paper. "Three hundred thousand troops have switched sides and joined the rebels. There used to be six hundred thousand troops and four hundred thousand rebels! The tables have turned!"

"There will be a civil war in Alabasta soon," Lucy said.

"I got that newspaper three days ago," Nami said. "Sorry we didn't show you; there was just no way for the ship to go faster."

"We didn't want to worry you," Lucy added.

"I'm going outside to keep an eye on the weather," Nami said hesitantly before heading outside.

"But we have to get you to a doctor!" Usopp said. There was a silence before they heard Nami call for them. Lucy stayed in bed, not finding the energy to get up. She decided a nice slumber would do her good, so setting her straw hat up on the rack, she fell into a deep slumber. Vivi came back down and woke Lucy up.

"I'd like to ask you a favor as captain," she said. Lucy nodded.

"It may not be right for me to say this since you are kind enough to bring me back to my country, but my country is in great danger, and I want to be back as soon as possible. I can't waste a second. So I'd like to head to Alabasta at the fastest speed. So, to head to the fastest speed, the captain is needed. So I request that we cure you so we can go at the fastest speed."

"Well, it's your request," Lucy said, grinning. "I thank you, Vivi." Vivi smiled and went up to tell them.

One Day Later...

Lucy sat inside with a blanket draped over her, Zoro sitting next to her, holding her hand tightly. Lucy had not gotten better at all, no matter how much she slept. So Zoro was here keeping her company. Soon a ruckus was heard up on deck, so Zoro left her to check up. Soon Lucy got impatient and got out of bed, wrapped her bathrobe and slippers she was given to keep warm when out of bed, and made sure her straw hat was on her bed before heading to the deck. She put her hair in a messy ponytail while walking, but was caught off by the ship shaking. She hit the ground hard, and she coughed wildly. Once the shaking stopped, she had to find support to help herself back up. Her situation wasn't a good one. This weird sickness plus her curse plus her overuse of her Phelmiac powers all together were really taking the energy out of her, so much she found it hard to walk with her two feet. Once she was finally able to get herself up the stairs, she blinked at what she saw. Weird men pointing guns at her nakama, being led by a short, fat, and ugly man with a tin can mouth.

"You should be in bed," Zoro complained. Lucy sighed.

"It's not like I can sleep in peace with all the ruckus," she complained.

"This is it?" the tin can mouthed man said. "Whatever. I have a question for you." He stuffed a dagger in his mouth and chewed like a cow.

"What _is_ that?" Lucy questioned. "He just ate a knife!" She stuck her tongue out in disgust. Zoro stared in disgust. Usopp also stuck out his tongue, arms in the air.

"I can't imagine how that must hurt!" he yelled.

"We want to go to the Drum Empire," the man said, sticking the handel in the mouth. "Do you have any eternal posts?"

"No!" Sanji said. "And we have never heard of that country before."

"Since your done with your business, can you leave now?" Lucy asked, rubbing her eyes childishly. The man sighed.

"Must you be so cruel? If you don't have it, why don't we just take all of your treasure?" he said. "But before we do that, I'm kinda hungry." With that, he took a giant bite of the Going Merry. He munched on it wildly.

"HEY!" Sanji yelled.

"IS HE HUMAN?" Usopp yelled.

"DON'T EAT OUR SHIP!" Lucy yelled. He began eating the anchor. She began stomping toward him, only for a guard to step in front of her.

"Don't interrupt Lord Wapol while he is eating!" he said. Lucy knocked him upside the head.

"Shut up!" she said, and continued her stomping.

"He's gonna fight!"

"Let's shoot her!"

"You should've done that a while ago," Zoro said with a grin.

"That means we can fight, right Lucy?" Sanji said, also sporting a grin.

"Why don't we negotiate?" Usopp asked, hiding behind the mast. With that, Sanji and Zoro began their wiping out of guards. Lucy went up to him and Rubber Bazooka'd him off with a cinch.

"Get the hell off my ship!" she yelled as she hit him. Soon the others retreated so they could find their odd captain and Lucy collapsed. Once again Zoro came to the rescue and caught her before she fell. He sighed as he carried and tucked her back in bed. Everyone settled into the girls' quarters so they could be there for Lucy, aside from Sanji who was outside keeping watch. They soon all fell asleep. That night Lucy had a pleasant, dream-free sleep with Zoro's hand intertwined with hers.

~.~

**So, yeah. Here's the chapter. FINALLY WE'RE DONE WITH LITTLE GARDEN! I don't know why, but I'm just not a fan of that arc. Dunno why. So I just saw Snow White and the Huntsman today, and it was awesome despite the fact that Kristen Stewart from Twilight was in it! But seriously it was a great movie. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**IndigoButterfly**_

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_**elric**_

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_"Passion is a sort of fever in the mind, which leaves us ever weaker than it found us."_

_-William Penn_


	42. Mountain Problems!

**Wolfy-tan: Welcome. Here is chapter 42! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:**

_**IndigoButterfly**_**: I did? Crap! I need to fix that... *fist pump back***

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_**elric**_**: Alabasta :)**

**ATTENTION: There is a major issue going on with FF that was brought up to me by one of my readers. The government is deleting stories with violence, lemon, song fic, etc. I find this stupid because that is what age ratings are for and is a waste of talent. This website is a place for letting out your potiental, and the government has no right to say what goes into our stories, like they have no right to say what goes on in novels and such. Fortunately, there is a petition to sign to stand up against this. If you agree with me and wish to sign the petition, then type this link below(no spacing). Remember that it takes one person to make a difference.**

** www. change /petitions /fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net**

_**Chapter 42: Mountain Problems!**_

It was the next day, and everyone was busy outside, except for Lucy who was resting and Zoro who was keeping her company. Zoro frowned; ever since Lucy had gotten sick, she had lost her energetic self, and that hit everyone hard. Lucy smiled at him and took his hand in hers and gave a light squeeze.

"Don't worry, Zoro," Lucy said, her voice weak. "I'll be fine." Zoro's eyes held worry as he squeezed back. She soon fell asleep and Zoro reluctantly let go of her hand. He stood up and placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving to train. What he didn't know was that as soon as he left her side, the dreams began haunting her. As she relived memories she did not wish to relive, an hour past by before she woke up sweating and shaking. She got up and began delving for anything sharp. When she finally found scissors, she grabbed her hair and cut it off. She felt relief swell as the hair fell onto the floor. She heard the door open and she froze. She looked up and saw Vivi, standing speechless.

"Lucy? What are you...?" Vivi asked. Lucy looked at her.

"..." Lucy stayed silent. Vivi looked at her.

"A dream?" Lucy nodded. Vivi walked to her and looked at the scissors.

"You've made it a real mess," she said. "Would you like me to fix your hair?" Lucy nodded, and soon they were both sitting on the floor, Vivi snipping at Lucy's hair. After what seemed like forever, Vivi gave Lucy a mirror and she looked in it. Her hair seemed kinda boyish, and she couldn't help but admire the extremely short hair.

"Thank you," Lucy said.

"Anytime," Vivi said. Lucy crawled back into bed while Vivi cleaned up the hair and conversed with Lucy, afraid that if she fell asleep and had another dream, she may do something worse. Their chat was interrupted when she heard Sanji yell there was an island.

"Did you hear that, Lucy?" Vivi asked. "You'll get better now!" Lucy grinned, and Vivi left to see it. Lucy sat up and called her siblings.

_"Hi guys."_

**_"Good to talk to you again, Lucy."_**

**_"Sup Shrimp?"_**

**_"Yo, Luce!"_**

_"I believe we need to all meet up again."_

**_"We probably should do that. But where, Shrimp?"_**

**_"Do you have any place in mind, Luce?"_**

_"Actually, I do."_

**_"Where Lucy?"_**

_"Well, we're going to be heading to Alabasta soon."_

**_"First Whiskey Peak, now Alabasta? Honestly, Lucy. Why are you heading there?"_**

_"We're helping the princess out with Baroque Works."_

**_"Honestly..."_**

**_"Of all places..."_**

**_"Why, Shrimp?"_**

_"Well, I want to help stop the civil war that's starting there, but I also want to put an end to Baroque."_

**_"Well, I don't care what Eraquor or Fire-Head think, I know you can do it!"_**

**_"I believe in you, too. Good luck Luce!"_**

**_"I'll support you, Lucy. We will meet there."_**

_"Great! I can't wait to see you all again."_

With that she cut the link. She heard Zoro come in.

"Are you ready?" he asked. "We're going." Lucy nodded and Zoro helped her with her winter coat and picked her up bridal style. It was then he noticed her hair.

"Lucy, why is your hair short?" he asked.

"Just wanted a new look," she said. He could tell by her eyes though that she was lying, but he didn't touch on it. With that he brought her up to the deck and the Mugiwaras, aside from Usopp who was guarding the ship, and Vivi followed the villagers to the village.

"This is our village," Dalton said when they arrived.

"Lucy, we've arrived," Zoro whispered to Lucy, who was struggling just to stay awake. She nodded weakly before snuggling into Zoro's chest. Dalton turned to the villagers.

"Thank you, everyone," he said. "Besides the people on guard duty, you all may return to work now."

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Dalton-san?" one villager asked. "They are pirates, afterall."

"I don't think they're dangerous," Dalton said. "Trust my instincts."

"You don't have any armies?" Vivi asked.

"The villagers are the armies," Dalton said. "I'll take you to my house to rest." He led the Mugiwaras to his homey home.

"You may lay her on the bed over there," he said, pointing. Zoro set her down and sat next to her.

"Let me introduce myself," Dalton said. "My name is Dalton. I'm a guardian of this island. I apologize for treating you so poorly before." He turned to Vivi. "Let me ask you something. I feel that we've met before. Who are you?"

"I believe that you've mistaken me for someone else. By the way, can you tell us more about that witch?" Dalton checked Lucy's temperature.

"Forty-two degrees?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's gone up in the past three days," Vivi said.

"If her temperature rises, she'll die," Dalton said.

"That's right," Nami said. "But we don't know what the cause is or how to help her."

"I don't care what the cause is, but we need a doctor," Zoro said.

"Yeah," Sanji agreed. "Just tell us where to find that witch." Dolton talked about the witch that was a hundred forty years old and how she would supposively fly down with a monster from her castle and help whoever she found and take whatever she wanted.

"Then we can go hiking up the mountain," Lucy said, surprising everyone.

"But that could make you ever worse, Lucy!" Sanji protested.

"This is an order," she said.

"It's decided, then," Zoro said. "Curly-Brow and I will be taking her up the mountain." Sanji nodded in agreement. With that, they were preparing to leave and Dalton warned them of the lapin, strong, bear-sized rabbits. Zoro and Sanji made sure to remember the information as Zoro held Lucy piggyback style while Vivi tied them secure so she wouldn't fall. With that, they set off for the mountain. They climbed in peace, sometimes the two bickered, but so far it was going well. Zoro put more power in his walk by the thought of Lucy suffering. He wouldn't let his captain suffer in such a way. It was then that he realized something. However, his thoughts were cut off by a huge hoard of lapins.

"Shit," Zoro muttered.

"He's coming at us!" Sanji exclaimed as the duo barely dodged a pummeling from the lapin.

"Seriously?" Sanji questioned. "Why is it so fast?"

"Those must be the lapins Dalton was talking about," Zoro said.

"They have small legs, but they move so fast," Sanji said. "It may be because they're mountain animals. We won't get through this easily."

"Great. Just what we need," Zoro said, irritated. All Zoro could do was dodge because he was carrying Lucy and watch Sanji kick the lapins back. Soon all they could do was run. Suddenly the lapins stopped chasing them and began to jump up and down.

"The hell?" Zoro asked.

"I thought they just got bored of chasing us, but it seems they're doing something," Sanji said. His eyes widened.

"Wait a minute...are they going to...?" His cigarette fell from his mouth. Zoro gave him a questioning eyebrow.

"This has to be a joke!" Sanji muttered. "Those oversized bunnies are really causing big trouble."

"Just what are they doing?" Zoro questioned.

"We have to get out of here!" Sanji yelled. "They're starting an avalanche!" Zoro's eyes widened. They started running, and they could hear the snow begin its falling.

"I swear, the next time I see those rabbits I'll fry 'em!" Sanji yelled.

"I'll slice those things to death!" Zoro joined. Finally, they found a high point to hide at. The snow fell more and more rapidly.

"We're not high enough!" Sanji yelled. A large hunk of snow ruled down and knocked them off, and they collpased, luckily Zoro landed on his stomach, so Lucy was okay. They lost consciousness.

Some Time Later...

Lucy woke up to see she was still attached to Zoro's back and that they were both unconscious. She untied the material that bound her and Zoro and she picked the two up. Yes, she was strong enough to pick up two nineteen year old men. With that, she began her quest for her to save her friends and herself. She kept walking; she refused to stop. When she saw a small lapin trying to dig, she understood completely and stuck her hand into the ground and brought up the lapin's parent from the snow. She continued to walk.

"It seems that now you two are the ones who need treated," Lucy said, looking at the two. "Don't die, you two." That was when she heard voices. She saw the tin can man in front of her in seconds.

"You've disrespected me multiple times, you brat," he said atop his hippo thing. Lucy glared.

"Outta the way," she said.

"Are you dreaming?" he asked, laughing. "Why should I let you go? Those things you're carrying are about to die, anyway. Lucy stayed silent and walked past him.

.

.

.

"HEY! STOP!" she heard Wapol yell. "I've come up with a new law. Write it down, Chess."

"Hai!"

"Anyone who turns their back on the king shall suffer death. Now kill them whether they're weak or not!"

"Hai!" Soon attacks were being thrown at Lucy, who was too sick to fight back. She did something that would make her worse; she sent pain waves that kept them at bay for a few seconds, but she couldn't get far. The weight of the two was starting to affect her, and because she just used her power, her systems inside was even more screwed up. Her eyesight began to blur as she struggled to dodge the attacks. That was when she saw two lapins attack the men attacking her. Realizing they were paying her back for saving the lapin, she thanked them and escaped while she could. She ran for what felt like an eternity, silently muttering 'doctor' to remind herself of her goal as she walked. Then, she climbed with the two tied to her back. She felt her coat fall off, but she didn't care. What mattered now was if she reached the top. Her hands bled, but she ignored the pain it brought. Once she reached the top, she collapsed.

~.~

Lucy woke up shakily. She looked around to see she was in some sort of room, tucked in bed. She sat up.

"H-Hello?" she heard a crash and looked down to see a reindeer.

"Hi!" Lucy said, waving. She was interrupted by her coughing, the taste of blood rising in her mouth. When she looked up, she saw him attempting to hide, but on the wrong side.

"Aren't you hiding on the wrong side?" she questioned. He slowly shifted so he was hiding correctly.

"Sh-Shut up human!" he spat. "By the way, a-are you feeling better?"

"Cool!" Lucy said, smiling. "You talk!"

"AAAAH!" he yelled.

"What are you doing, Chopper?" she heard a voice say and saw a very odd looking character enter. She drank her booze in her hand.

"So you're awake," she said. "Feeling better, girl?"

"Who're you?" Lucy asked. The woman put her fingers on Lucy's forehead and took a swig of her booze.

"Thirty-eight point two degrees. You're getting better," she said, smiling. "I am Doctor Kureha. You can call me Doctrine."

"Doctor?" Lucy asked. "Then we made it!"

"You want to know the secret to my youthfulness?"

"I'll pass."

"You're on the castle on top the mountain," she said. "You're a Noliaheart, aren't you?" Lucy snapped her head towards her.

"How do you know that name?" she asked warily. She took another swig of her booze.

"I thought you looked familiar," she said. "I went to that family some sixteen years ago to learn from the medics there. The Noliahearts were famous for their natural cures," she explained. Doctrine eyed her for a sec."

"There was where I met you. Lucy, right?" she asked. Lucy nodded. "You were just a year old back then. It was only likely you wouldn't remember me." She pointed to Lucy's wrists, whose bandages were stripped of.

"Care to explain that?" she asked. "Why do you have a Darneel Curse?"

"The Darneels..." Lucy sucked up her tears. "They massacred the Noliahearts; only I and my cousins are alive from it! And their leader Atsuke cursed me to do something terrible..!" By now she was shaking; she trusted Doctrine. After all, she met her family. She knew how the two families had always quarreled. Doctrine pulled Lucy into a hug.

"You're afraid of shedding your tears, aren't you?" she asked. "It's okay. There's no one watching that will shed you of your pride." Lucy began bawling. Doctrine simply held the embrace.

"It's alright. I know how dangerous a Darneel curse is, so I've temporarily sealed its destructive properties," she said. "It should last until you reach the next island." Lucy continued shedding her tears. It felt as if she could finally release tension that had built up inside of her.

She felt calmed...for now.

~.~

**And that's that. Again, please sign the petition, and I will smile. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Mimi522**_

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_"Let your tears come. Let them water your soul."_

_-Eileen Mayhew_


	43. Drum Empire Conclusion!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello! Here's chapter 43!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

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**_angelvan105_: The petition is easy to sign but it kinda asks personal stuff, so yeah.**

**ATTENTION: If the link from the last chapter did not work, try googling the link and see if the website comes up. Please, if possible, post the link in your next chapter to spread the word and get more signatures on the petition signed.**

_**Chapter 43: Drum Empire Conclusion!**_

Zoro couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He and Sanji had woken up to find themselves at the castle, according to what the racoon dog said. When the two realized that the racoon dog was there (and talking), the chased after it for food. That was when they heard the sounds of one crying behind one of the doors. They both listened when they recognized there were two voices there: Lucy's and someone else's. They couldn't make out what they were saying, but the two could both agree that Lucy's voice was shaking, and that meant Lucy was the one crying. One problem.

Lucy+crying=no solution.

In other words, the two words just didn't go together. They were like water and oil. Zoro and Sanji exchanged glance, and they both knew th at it had to be Lucy shedding her tears.

~.~

"So where are Zoro and Sanji?" Lucy asked. She talked silently.

"Those two other men?" Doctrine asked. "They're resting in the room next door. Let's see..." Doctrine said, rolling up Lucy's shirt to show Lucy's insect bite.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"You were bitten by an insect called Casha," Doctrine said. "It's a poisonous insect that lives in a tropical forest. When it bites someone, it spreads that bacteria throughout that person's body. Within five days, the person bitten will suffer a high fever. Later, it will affect the heart, brain, and every part of the body. Based on the wound, I guess this is the third day after you were bitten. If you were to go without medical treatment for five days, you'd be a corpse! Had you not come within two days, you would've been in heaven!"

Lucy smiled, "Well, I'm here now, right?"

"I guess so," she said, taking a swig of her booze. "It used to be known as the Five-Day Fever, but Casha has been extinct for a hundred years. You're lucky I still have the antibiotic. How did you get bit, anyway? Did you just take a walk in an ancient forest with your stomach showing?"

"Basically," Lucy said, causing Doctrine to sweat-drop.

"Anyway, go back to sleep. You're not completely cured," Doctrine said. "But don't even think of leaving. It will take at least three days to heal.

"We don't have time for three days," Lucy said with her straight face. "We still have to go to...!" She was interrupted by Doctrine putting a knife to her neck.

"There are only two cases that I let my patients leave: when they die, or when they're fully recovered," Doctrine said. That was when the door burst open, revealing Zoro and Sanji trying a certain reindeer.

"AAAAAAH!" the reindeer yelled. "HEEEELP!" Soon Lucy was on her feet with lightning speed and snatched the reindeer and knocked the two upside the head.

"Quit messing with him!" Lucy yelled. "He's not food!" Everyone looked up at Lucy in surprise, all thinking the same thing..._'when the hell was she so fast?'_

"Honestly," she looked to the reindeer. "Sorry about them. Care to tell me your name?"

"Why should I tell you , human?" he spat. Lucy grinned.

"'Cause you're cute!" she responded. The reindeer blushed and swayed.

"Y-Your compliments don't make me happy, you human!" he yelled, but he contradicted himself by his actions.

"This is Tony Tony Chopper. He's a regular blue-nosed reindeer who ate the Human Fruit," Doctrine said. She turned to the two men, "Both of you, get out! I don't care how you're related to her, but she needs rest and shouldn't have such a ruckus!" With that, Doctrine, Zoro, and Sanji left. Lucy sat on her bed and looked at Chopper.

"You're interesting," she said with a grin. "I like you!"

"Sh-Shut up human!" he yelled, once again contradicting himself.

"How come you don't like me?" she asked. "Despite your actions, your words are not pleasant." Chopper looked at her nervously.

"It's all right, you don't have to tell me."

"No, it's alright, I'll tell you; I trust you," he said, and he began his story of being outcasted because of his blue nose, being saved by Doctor Hilruk and how Wapol tricked and killed him. Lucy listened vigorously.

"Why don't you join us?" Lucy asked. "Being a pirate is fun!" Chopper backed up in shock.

"Are you stupid?" he asked. "I'm a reindeer; how am I supposed to live with humans?" Lucy grinned.

"I don't care whether or not you're a reindeer with a blue nose; why should I?" she grinned. "Come on, join us! You're my nakama, aren't you?"

"Na...kama..." Chopper muttered. He was interrupted by his nose, which was sniffing immensly. His face turned from awe to anger.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"Wapol! He's back!" With that, he turned into his actual reindeer-looking form and took off, leaving Lucy alone. She got up shakily. Her walking was still weak, even if she could walk with amazing speed. Her speed took up a lot of her energy. Despite that, she got up and began her walk to the downstairs. She didn't care that she wasn't wearing anything aside from her T-shirt and capris; she needed to get out there. Once she finally made it outside, she saw Wapol and his subordinates. She looked to Doctrine, who seemed to know what she was scheming. She gave her a look as in to say 'Don't do it', but Lucy didn't care. She walked past Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper and made a hand sign: palms facing opposite from her, both of her index and middle fingers making an X, her ring and pinky fingers down, and her thumbs also created an X. Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper stared in awe while Doctrine only shook her head in disappointment as Lucy's eyes flashed from black to red again and again. Wapol and his subordinates fell to the ground, holding their head in pain and falling to their knees. Eventually, they were knocked out. Lucy fell, and as if déjà vu had favored her, she felt familiar arms wrap around her waist as black swirled into her eyes as she slipped to unconsciousness.

~.~

"That idiot!" Doctrine exclaimed as Zoro picked Lucy up bridal style. One thought plagued his mind: What the HELL just happened? Doctrine sighed.

"Bring her in; she'll get worse if she's out in such cold for long," Doctrine said. She muttered, "She just made the seal go berserk. I'll need to reapply if." Any normal person wouldn't catch it, but those three weren't normal. They all glanced at each other, confused, but listened to her anyway.

~.~

Lucy woke up, but didn't open her eyes. She couldn't. She just didn't have the energy.

"Doctrine..." she muttered. She was able to open her eyes by then, but not by much. She noticed Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Doctrine were all in the room.

"Shush," she said. "Hold out your wrist." Lucy obliged as she held out her runed wrist. Doctrine worked fast with a sort of liquid Lucy guessed was made of herbs her family used to have a large supply of and dabbed Lucy's wrist with this odd liquid. Lucy's skin absorbed the liquid and indigo came up from where the liquid had absorbed and shaped into bindings that wrapped around the runes. Doctrine quickly wrapped Lucy's wrist before the three bystanders could see what was going on and Doctrine had moved onto Lucy's other wrist with the same happenings occuring. Doctrine then looked to Lucy. She handed her a headband.

"Put it on," she said. Lucy followed her order and put it on. Doctrine grabbed another liquid that looked similar and wiped it onto Lucy's forehead. Lucy's runes that Zoro had seen back when they had just gotten the Going Merry appeared once again here. Doctrine dabbed the liquid from earlier onto the runes, causing blue to rise and wrap around the runes and the eye in the middle to shut. Doctrine then moved to Lucy's ankles and did the same as Lucy's wrists, again wrapping Lucy's ankles.

"That should do it," Doctrine said. "You're sealed again."

After Doctrine sealed away the affects of her curse temporarily, the rest of the day was a blur. She remembered the rest of her crew and Vivi coming up along with Dolton and some other people she didn't bother to recognize come up and everything was settled and such. She remembered how Nami blackmailed Doctrine with some key so Lucy could leave today, but again, Lucy was too zoned out to pay attention. Now she was chatting with Chopper to join her crew, and he finally gave in and joined. However, when he went to tell Doctrine about the news she was less than happy and, if Chopper hadn't fleed on reflex, he would've gotten a good ass kicking. So now, her crew along with Vivi were escaping when pink was shot from the sky and mixed with the snow so it looked like sakura petals were raining down. Chopper shed massive tears while Lucy stared in awe.

"It's so beautiful," Lucy said, her straw hat in hand. Zoro ruffled her hair playfully and wrapped his arm around her, also staring at the sakura with a smile. He looked to Lucy who seemed so happy, so joyful. It was then he promised himself that he'll die before causing that smile to leave her angelic face. That he would keep her happy no matter what. It was there that he realized and accepted this fact.

He was in love with Monkey D. Lucy.

And he would not doubt that for a second.

~.~

**Sorry this was up so late and sorry it was short, but I was able to finish up the Drum Empire stuff and even add some ZoroXLucy at the end, so I'm happy with it for the most part. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Mimi522**_

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_**angelvan105**_

_"Everything is clearer when you're in love."_

_-John Lennon_


	44. Okama Time!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 44!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 44: Okama Time!**_

Doctrine and Dolton chatted about Doctor Hilruk when two villagers approached them.

"Dolton-san," one villager said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"This is bad, we forgot to tell you something," the other villager said. "Look at this." The villager handed Dolton a wated poster of a familiar straw hat girl.

"It must be her," the first villager said.

"Thirty million Berri?" Dolton questioned. "Them?"

"I see," Doctrine muttered. "It seems Little Lucy has grown into a strong child."

"Where did you get this?" Dolton asked.

"Actually, we forgot to tell you," the second said. "A few days ago, there was a group of people in Ropel: two men and a woman. They seemed like regular travelers, but the weird part was that there was no snow falling that day."

"Nobody knew where they were from, but one of the men said they were looking for the Blackbeard Pirates, the ones who destroyed the Drum Empire."

"When we told him they weren't here, the other man said, 'Then can I ask you something? Have you seen a she-pirate with a straw hat?'"

"When we told him we had never seen her, the woman handed us this and said, 'If she comes here, tell her that Eracire, Eraquor, and Ace will be in Alabasta, but Ace can only stay for ten days.'"

"I see, actually, you don't have to tell them," Dolton said. "Because Alabasta is their next destination, I think."

Doctrine took a swig of her booze, "It seems my reindeer has followed a dangerous woman."

~.~

"It has been days, Ace," Eraquor stressed, sitting on one of the stools at the bar they were residing at.

"Only seven more days until you have to leave. What if she didn't get the message?"

"She'll have to come eventually," Ace said, his mouth full from eating his thirty-second meal. "She has the princess, after all."

"But..." Eraquor protested.

"There's nothing we can do, Eraquor," Eracire said, drinking his sake. "We can't contact her telepathically without risking her curse seeping in faster. All we can do is wait for her arrival."

"You can't blame me for worrying," Eraquor said. "Who knows where that problem girl can be?"

"It's hard to think she'll become an adult soon," Ace chuckled.

"Can't say I don't agree," Eracire said.

~.~

Lucy sneezed during the celebration of a new member.

"You know what it means when you sneeze, right?" Nami asked with a smirk. "Someone's talking about our Lucy!"

"I think I have a good idea who," Lucy said, a smile evident on her face.

"Who?" Nami asked. "Your boyfriend?" Zoro practically choked on his sake. He sent Nami a death glare, who just smirked.

"Don't be silly, Nami," Lucy said. "I've never had a boyfriend."

"I find that surprising considering your cute looks," Nami said. "Not to mention you have a body women would die for."

"Alright!" Usopp stood. "Let's have a toast to a new nakama!" Everyone smiled and laughed as they joined in and drank their sake. It was a fun night, and everyone seemed to forget their pain, whether the pain hurt them mentally or physically.

"I've never been so happy in my life," Chopper said with a smile. Lucy headed over to Zoro.

"Hey," she said, sitting down next to him, away from the party.

"I want to thank you," she said. "You were there to comfort me when I was sick. So, thanks." She went and kissed Zoro on the cheek. He felt his cheeks grow warm as he felt her soft lips touch her skin. It felt like an eternity, but he felt disappointment when her lips retreated. But soon that feeling faded when he saw her smile. That kind, heart-warming smile. He then looked to her eyes. Those beautiful eyes that could just melt you. Lucy grabbed Zoro's hand. He gave a light squeeze. All he could think of was their lives would be if they were a couple. Lucy, a girl with enchanting beauty but incredibly dense. Not to mention there was a mass amount of mystery that surrounded her. Nonetheless, he loved her with all of his heart. He'll never let her go.

~.~

The Next Day...

"Please tell me the truth, Lucy," Sanji said. "Did you eat our eight months worth of rations?" Lucy was silent for a second before answering.

"Yes..." she said. She looked down.

"Well, it's alright, since it's you, Lucy," Sanji said, hearts in his eyes. Zoro walked over to Sanji.

"Quit being such a creep, love-cook," Zoro said. They sent each other glares. Lucy just blinked. Vivi soon called the Mugiwaras over and explained that Crocodile was Alabasta's hero.

"So all I need to do is kick his ass, right?" Lucy asked, pumping her fist to the air.

"Yeah," Vivi said. "First we'll stop the rebellion. If we drive Baroque Works out of Alabasta, we'll be safe."

"Wait, hold on," Usopp said. "How does Baroque Works's system work, anyway?"

"It's a very simple system," Vivi started. "At the top is Crocodile, 'Mister Zero'. There are thirteen 'agents' who take orders directly from the boss: twelve men and one animal. All of their names are 'Mister' followed by a number. They are paired with a female agent that compliment their specific powers. Mister Thirteen and Miss Friday are special in that they punish the other agents when they fail an order. All of the agents five and up are called 'officer agents'. All of them, as far as I know, have devil fruit powers. They don't act unless business is important. Under them are the 'frontier agents'. They command the basic units. Their job is to raise funds around the entrance of the Grand Line. There are also the 'billions', a group of two hundred people that work under the officer agents and the 'millions', a group of a thousand eight hundred people that serve the frontier agents. That's basically Baroque Works." Vivi concluded. "Oh, and this is just a tale around Baroque Works, but before Baroque Works had developed itself in such a way, there was a duo, Mister Six and Miss Good Friday that worked there but attempted to escape, but Mister Six sacrificed himself to let Miss Good Friday escape because she was important for something, but I'm not sure why. Nowadays the hunt for that girl goes on. Of course, there is a new Mister Six now with his partner, Miss Mother's Day.

Zoro raised a brow. Miss Good Friday? He swore he heard that name before, and recently, too. But where? It certaintly seemed familiar.

Lucy clenched her fist. That was no tale. That was the truth. Of course, Crocodile wouldn't give the details; in fact, Lucy was surprised Crocodile had informed the frontier agents at all.

"Then that means if taking over Alabasta is Baroque Works's final plan..." Nami said. "Then these 'officer agents' should all..."

"Yes," Vivi said. "Be together."

~.~

Five Days After Leaving the Drum Empire...

"Miss Lucy, Mister Usopp, have you caught anything yet?" she asked. She looked at their fishing rods.

"GALU!" she said, her eyes practically popping out. She hit the two upside the head. She turned to the sea.

"What _is_ that?" Vivi asked. "Smoke?" She went inside to warn Nami, but she kept relaxed.

"Don't worry," Nami said, stepping outside. "It's just steam."

"Steam from the ocean?"

"Yeah. It's a hotspot."

"What's that?"

"It's where magma comes out. Below us are underwater volcanos," Nami explained.

"There are volcanos underwater?" Chopper questioned.

"Yes," Nami said. "There are more volcanos underwater then on land."

"Cool!" Usopp said.

"Who cares. We can't eat it," Lucy said, watching the ocean.

"In several thousand or ten thousand years, there will be a new island here," Nami said.

"That's so cool, Nami-swan!" Sanji said, hearts in his eyes.

"This place is so amazing," Vivi said, watching the steam rise.

"Yeah," Nami agreed.

"Ten thousand years...I wonder if I'll live that long."

"No, you'll be dead."

"Quack!"

Both Lucy and Usopp felt a tug on their fishing poles and reeled in, and froze at what they saw. A strange man who dressed like a girl. A very ugly girl.

"WE CAUGHT AN OKAMA!" the two yelled at the same time.

"How did I end up on this weird giant duck!" he yelled. He let go and fell into the ocean. He was quickly saved by the Mugiwaras. Now all of the Mugiwaras, aside from Sanji who was in the kitchen, were out there with the strange okama.

"Thank you very much," he said. "You are swanderful people. My life has been saved by pirates I don't even know. I will never forget this. May I have a warm cup of soup?"

"NO!" they all yelled. "WE'RE HUNGRY TOO!" Lucy stared at the man. He seemed so...familiar. But where had she could of met him before? She certaintly doesn't remember meeting any okama on her pirate journey. At the looks of the reactions of her okama, that assured her that she never knew him as a pirate. Then where? Lucy stood next to Vivi. They glanced at each other. The okama looked to them.

"Well aren't you two cuties!" he said. "I could just gobble you two up!" They both sweat-dropped, and Zoro glared at the okama. If the slime even dared to touch Lucy in any way...

"So you can't swim?" Lucy asked.

"That's right," he said. "I ate a devil fruit."

"Really?" Usopp asked. "What kind?"

"Well, I need to wait for my ship to come back anyways," he said. "Might as well put on a show!" With that, he smacked Lucy, sending her crashing back. Zoro drew his swords.

"Why, you...!" he said.

"Wait, wait!" the okama said. Except, he no longer looked like the okama from before. "I told you this was a show!" Everyone froze at what they saw.

"What the..." Lucy said, putting her hat back on its rightful place.

"By touching my left hand, it goes back to normal," he said, turning himself back to normal. "This is my power! The Mane Fruit!" He continued his demonstration with the other Mugiwaras. Lucy didn't know why, but she felt as if something bad was going to happen with him knowing their faces, and being able to imitate them. Usopp and Chopper cheered.

"I also have a perfect memory!" he said. "I never forget a single face!" he said, showing more faces. Vivi seemed to freeze when he showed one of them.

"Ridiculous," Zoro muttered.

"How do you like my special talent?" the okama asked. "I usually never show it to people!" Lucy kept her distance from the man, but didn't act rude to him. She just got a bad vibe from him.

"There's a ship coming this way," Nami pointed. "Is it yours?"

"Oh? Is it time to leave already?" he asked. "He turned to them, especially a teary Usopp and Chopper. "Do not feel sad! Seperation was inevitable! Do not forget me! Length of time means nothing to a true friendship!" With that, he left to his ship.

"Mister Two Bon Clay-sama sir!"

"Mister Two!" Vivi said.

"I knew he had a bad vibe!" Lucy said.

"One of those faces he showed from memory was my father's..." Vivi said shakily. "What in the world will he use my father's face to do?"

"He definitely can do some bad things with it," Zoro said.

"We just let a dangerous guy get away," Usopp said.

"He is an enemy?" Chopper asked.

"Well, he will be dangerous if he turns into an enemy, that is, if he finds out we're enemies...!" Nami said. "With that said, if he uses his memory to turn into one of us, we won't be able to trust each other!"

"That may be true," Zoro said. "But I have an idea." Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"If we all tie bandages around our arm, then we'll be able to tell that we're the real ones," he said.

"I like that idea," Lucy said. "But, let's add something more. Baroque Works are sharp people. If they notice we all have identical bandages, then let's add another piece. We can all put an 'X' under the bandage, so if we don't show each other the X when we ask them for evidence that it's really them, then they're fake." Everyone looked at the two in surprise that they could actually work together to create such an elaborate plan. Zoro and Lucy looked at each other and nodded. This would work.

Then they heard the water crash as a large figure immerged from the water behind the ship's set direction.

"A Sea Cat!" Vivi exclaimed.

"A Sea King!" Chopper and Usopp yelled in unison.

"Our first meal in four days!" Zoro said, getting his swords ready.

"Food!" Lucy said, getting in her stance.

"It's retreating!"

"Put the ship in reverse!"

"You can't do that!"

Sanji immerged from the kitchen, seeing the Sea King. "Don't let it get away! Make sure you kill it!"

"NO!" Vivi yelled, whacking the three.

"W-What's wrong, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked.

"Gosh, don't be such an asshole!" Lucy yelled.

"You can't eat it!" Vivi said. "In Alabasta, Sea Cats are sacred animals."

"There sure are a lot of things in the ocean," Chopper said.

Usopp laughed shakily. "You're still a k-k-kid if that kind of s-stuff still s-scares you..." After saying that, Usopp went back to being proud and telling Chopper fake stories.

"My food got away..." Lucy muttered.

"The wind and temperature seems to of stabilized," Nami said.

"Yeah, we've entered the Alabastan zone," Vivi said. "The Sea Cat was more proof."

"I bet those things behind us are even more proof that we're close to Alabasta," Zoro said, and Vivi looked at where he was refering to.

"Ships...!" she said.

"Look at all those ships! When did they...?"

"Oi! They all have Baroque Works signs on them!"

"All the members are coming together," Vivi said. "Those are probably the 'billions'! Servants of the officer agents..."

"Two hundred of them will be tough," Nami said.

"And these people are different from the hundred elite bounty hunters Baroque Works hired from Whiskey Peak!" Vivi said.

"Anyway, there's no point in attacking them now," Zoro said. "There's only eight of us."

"That's right," Sanji said. "All is lost if we lose our true objective!"

"Then it's settled," Lucy said. "Let's start our plan!" With that, Lucy drew an X on everyone, and it was a pretty X. Then they all wrapped the X so it was hidden behind the bandages.

"There," Lucy said. "We should be good now. Whatever happens now, this left arm signifies our friendship!" With that said, they all held their left arm out.

"Now let's get onto dry land!"

~.~

"Whew," Ace said. "Maaaan...I fell asleep."

"YOU FELL ASLEEP?" the whole store yelled.

"What's your deal?" he asked, stuffing more food in his mouth.

"Don't be so worried," Eraquor said with her straight face. "This happens quite often." Eracire laughed.

"After a while, you just get a good laugh out of it!" he said.

*Fwomp*

"HE FELL ASLEEP AGAIN!"

Eraquor and Eracire sweat-dropped.

"By the way, pops," Ace said, waking back up. "Have you seen this girl? Straw hat and all..."

"I guess you three don't have a problem eating in whole public..." the trio turned to see Smoker.

"Now what does the Whitebeard Second Corps and the deadly Era Twins want in this country?"

~.~

The Mugiwaras docked in port.

"Restaurant!" Lucy yelled, running.

"Wait a minute!"

~.~

"We're searching for our little sister," Ace answered. All three wore smirks.

~.~

**There you have it. Ace, Eraquor, and Eracire have all finally showed up! Yay! Remember to review because reviews make me smile! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**IndigoButterfly**_

_**elric**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**Mimi522**_

_"Friends are the siblings God never gave us."_

_-Mencius_


	45. Lucy's Secrets Revealed!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 45!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

_**Chapter 45: Lucy's Secrets Revealed!**_

"What should we do? Nanohana is a large town," Vivi said, worry etched across her features. "It will be very hard to search for Miss Lucy!"

"Don't worry, Vivi-chan," Sanji said. "We'll look for the noisiest place in town. That's where she'll be." Usopp laughed.

"You got that right!" he said.

"Anyways..." Nami said. "I wish she'd pay more heed to the bounty on her head. Especially in a large country like this...!"

"Just let her take care of herself," Zoro said. "Let's go and eat. We can think things through after that."

"Wait," Vivi said, looking at another ship. "That's Mister Three's ship!"

"Hold on...you mean he's not dead?" Usopp asked.

"Quack!"

"That ship can only move through the power of the Candle Fruit," Vivi responded. "He must be in the kingdom...!"

~.~

The whole restaurant seemed to freeze. Whitebeard? Era Twins? Why were they here? These thought ran through the villagers' minds.

"So?" Eracire asked sarcastically. "What should we do?"

"Sit tight and let me arrest you," Smoker said.

"Rejected," Ace responded. "Sorry, no can do."

~.~

Lucy followed her sense of smell and was rewarded by spotting a resteraunt.

"Score!" she exclaimed, running toward it.

~.~

"I'm looking for a different pirate," Smoker said. "And I'm not really interested in you guys."

"Then let us go," Eraquor suggested.

"I can't do that," he responded. He got his smoke ready.

"For as long as I'm a marine and you are pirates..."

"Chill out, dude," Ace said. "What a dumb reason."

"ROCKET!" Suddenly Smoker was pummeled by an unkown cause.

"Whoa!" the trio yelled. Smoker ran into the trio, causing them to fly into several different walls. Lucy cheered.

"A restaurant! I'm starving!" Lucy exclaimed. She sat down on one of the stools.

"Oi, Ossan! Food food food!" she yelled. You couldn't blame her. She had gone without food for four days, and for Lucy, that was like going without food for a year.

"But girl..." the man said. "You should run away..." Lucy didn't pay attention and sucked down the food he have her.

"Thank God!" she yelled. "What a great restaurant!"

"Th-Thanks, girl, but..."

~.~

"The hell?" Ace asked as the three got up. The three turned to the people they disrupted.

"Our apologies for disrupting your meal," Eraquor and Ace said, bowing in unison. Eracire slightly snickered at the sight.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Eracire said. With that, they headed back to the restaurant.

"G-Guys..." Eraquor said. "Look." The two men looked to where she pointed and saw Lucy.

"Sh...!" Eracire stuttered.

"Hey! Luce...!" Ace said. He was interrupted by Smoker pushing the three down.

"MUGIWARA!" Smoker yelled. Lucy looked up, food stuffed in her mouth. She continued eating.

"So you're here to..." he noticed she continued eating.

"QUIT EATING!" he yelled. That was when it hit her. That was the guy from Loguetown.

"BO'RE BAH BOBEE BY! (YOU'RE THAT SMOKEY GUY!)" she yelled. "BAH BUH BEH BUH BOO BOOBEH BEAH? (WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?)" Unfortunately, in the process of talking with her mouth full, she spit food onto Smoker's face, making him thoroughly pissed.

"You disgusting little...!" he said.

"BEH BO BAH BOOO! (THANKS FOR THE FOOD!)" and with that yelled, she ran, but not before stuffing all the food into her mouth.

_'Damn it!'_ she thought. _'My rubber attacks won't work on him, and I can't use my powers without undoing the seal!'_

_~.~_

The three stood.

"Damn that Smoker!" Eraquor said. "He chased Lucy away!"

"Let's go, then!" Ace said, and the three broke into a sprint.

~.~

Next thing Lucy knew, that Tashigi bitch was flailing her katana at Lucy. Lucy hadn't forgotten Loguetown, nor will she ever. Then Smoker was chasing after her with his smoke abilities. Basically, not a fun day for Lucy.

~.~

Zoro could not believe Sanji. He forced Vivi and Nami into dancer outfits, which he really didn't care about. That was just Sanji being the creep he was, BUT then he bought one for Lucy. Zoro could punch him in the face right about now. Instead, he drank his beer. Vivi was explaining something about going to Yuba, but something caught his eyes.

"Guys, get down!" he said. "The marines!" _'Did they catch a pirate or something...?'_

"Zoro!" He mentally facepalmed.

Smoker launched another attak, only to be interrupted by flames.

"What do you want?" Smoker asked, seeing Ace.

"Cut it out," Ace said bluntly. "You may be 'smoke' but I'm 'fire'. Your powers don't stand a chance against mine."

"Who is that...?" Nami asked Lucy.

"Ace?" she asked.

"You haven't changed a bit, Luce," Ace said.

"Damn it, Ace!"

"You run too fast!"

Lucy looked back to see Eraquor and Eracire coming in.

"You guys made it!" Lucy grinned.

"Anyway, let's go," Eraquor said. "Ace will catch up later."

"Right," Lucy said. She turned to her nakama.

"Time to go to our ship, guys!" Lucy said. They nodded and followed Lucy and the two strangers, despite their confusion.

"Who are these people, Lucy?" Usopp asked. "And who was that fire guy from before? Your boyfriend?"

Zoro wanted to hit Usopp upside the head. He hated to admit it, but it was a possibility. He seemed extremely strong, and he looked attractive enough for a girl to want to date him. But Lucy said she never had a boyfriend...was it a lie?

"Man!" Lucy exclaimed. "I never thought I'd meet Ace here!" Soon, everyone except Vivi and Galu were on the ship. Vivi sent Galu out to deliver a message to her father, and with that, Galu left and Vivi boarded the ship.

"Now, who are these people, Lucy?" Sanji asked.

"The man you saw back there was Ace," Lucy said. "This woman here is Eraquor, and this man here is Eracire. They're my siblings."

"Siblings?" They all asked in unison.

"Yes," Eraquor said. "Eracire and I are twins, and we're the oldest. We're both twenty-three. Then there's Ace, who is twenty."

"I'm not surprised you have siblings," Zoro said. "By why're you all on the Grand Line?

"Since Eraquor and Eracire are six years older, they left six years before me. Since Ace is three years older, he left three years before me," Lucy explained. "Ace left to find the One Piece. Eraquor and Eracire left for information, and ended up becoming wanted in the process." Lucy was knocked off from sitting on the rails from Ace.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Yo." The four all wore grins.

"Are you ready to explain everything, Lucy?" Eraquor asked. Lucy looked at her hesitantly before nodding.

"But before we do," Ace said. "Lucy, would you join the Whitebeard Pirates? With your friends, too, of course."

"Nope," she said. Ace chuckled.

"I figured that'd be the answer."

"Whitebeard?" Usopp asked. "So that tatoo on your back is real?"

"Sure is," he said. "It's my pride and joy. Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever known. I want to make him the Pirate King, not you, Lucy."

"I get it," Lucy said. "I'll just fight him!" Ace and Lucy shared smirks.

"Anyway," Eracire said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go inside and begin the explanation." With that, they headed inside, and Eracire, Ace, Lucy, and Eraquor sat on one side in that order, Usopp, Vivi, Sanji, and Nami sitting on the other side, leaving Zoro and Chopper to stand.

"Where should we start?" Eracire asked.

"Let me say something first," Lucy said. "You guys know how I said that when I had visions and could transmit visions, that was an ability called Phelemeon?" They all nodded. Lucy hesitated before continuing. "...Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nami asked, curious.

"I suppose I'll start," Eraquor said. "A long time ago, there was a country called Phelmia. There are still many mysteries surrounding it that we're trying to solve, but there were people called 'Phelmiacs'."

"Phelmiac..." Sanji said. "Wait. Isn't that what Arlong called you?"

"Yes," Lucy said. "He is one of few people that has this secret information."

"Continuing on," Eracire said. "Soon the generations forgot how to use the power of the Phelmiacs, and they developed two specific powers, labeled as 'Phelmic' powers, and these two powers divided the people into two distinct families."

"One of which is Phelemeon," Lucy said. "But Phelemeon isn't what I said it was. Phelemeon is the power of imagining something to happening, and then projecting that to the real world."

"Then what about your ability of having visions?" Zoro questioned.

"People born with Phelmic powers were not allowed to marry or mate those without their specific power, thus causing a lot of breeding problems," Eraquor said. "Lucy's mother..." they left a moment of silence for her, causing more question for the Mugiwaras. "...was born with this breeding problem. It was then passed down to Lucy. That breeding problem is the destruction of brain cells when seeing into the past or future. Somehow, these same people can transmit visions to other people, but the reciever doesn't recieve brain damage. Though, the brain damage is quickly repaired, so it doesn't really cause harm in the long run."

"I've never seen you use this power," Nami said.

"That's because, though the bounds to Phelemeon is limitless, people born with Phelemeon have boundaries to their level of power," Eraquor said. "Lucy was born with very low potiential for Phelemeon, but that's not her fault."

"In other words, I really suck at using Phelemeon," Lucy said with a grin. "The most I can do is splash some waves around with my mind."

"This still doesn't explain the power you used at Arlong Park," Zoro said. "You said this 'Phelmiac' power died out a long time ago. If that's the case, why can Lucy use this power?"

"That's something else we need to talk about," Lucy said. "There is a prophecy us Phelemeon-born people have believed in since the dawn of the two Phelmic powers. That a girl born from a non-Phelmic father and a Phelemeon-using father would be born with the knowledge of the powers of the Phelmiacs. Her eyes would flash red like the previous Phelmiacs and she would hold a scythe crafted from her anger and sorrow from her experiences. The prophecy also states she has to stop a grave danger to the whole world. What it doesn't state, however, is whether she will stop it or not."

"Why not?" Usopp asked. "Don't prophecies state how it will end?"

"That's the difference between Phelmic prophecies and regular prophecies," Eraquor said. "In a Phelmic prophecy, the prophecy will end in someone's favor. The people involved in the prophecy have to work for the prophecy to end in their favor. It's just how it is."

"Wait a second," Zoro paused. "Are you saying that Lucy is this Phelmiac destined to save the world?"

"It's true," Lucy said. "My full name is Monkey-Noliaheart D. Luciana. Monkey is my father's last name and Noliaheart is my mother's last name." Again, a silence was held.

"Wait, you're wearing both of your parents' names," Nami said. "Didn't your parents never marry?"

"Don't you pay attention?" Eracire asked. "Shrimp's father wasn't Phelmic. That meant her parents' relationship was forbidden!"

"Shrimp?" Vivi asked.

"We all have our nicknames for her," Ace said. "I call her Luce, Eracire calls her Shrimp, and Eraquor just calls her Lucy."

"Anyway," Eraquor said. "Noliaheart was the family for Phelemeon. Then there's the second Phelmic, which is Phelemor. The Darneels were the family for Phelemor."

"Why do you keep saying it in past tense?" Chopper asked. The others nodded.

"Also, why did you say Lucy's mother and Lucy's father? Aren't you all siblings?" Usopp asked.

"You see..." Lucy said. "We _are _siblings, but by word. If we never pledged ourselves as siblings, then Eraquor and Eracire are both my cousins, and Ace is my friend. But we have never seen it that way. We've always been siblings."

"Going back on topic," Eracire said. "There was a specific person in the Darneel family: Darneel Atsuke." The Mugiwaras watched Lucy was she visibly tensed.

"Atsuke..." Eraquor muttered. "Killed almost every Darneel and every Noliaheart except us three. That's why I was stating it in past tense." Everyone looked at them in shock. They looked to Lucy, who was looking down, using her straw hat to cover her expression. Ace put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Lucy..." Zoro muttered.

"Atsuke is the threat to the world," Eracire said. "He plans on reviving Phelmia, which is full of secrets we need to solve to know what he's looking for."

_**"Should I tell them about Baroque Works**** yet?"** _Eraquor asked.

_"Not yet. I'm going to tell them after we leave Alabasta," _Lucy responded. She made sure she gave the same message to the other two.

"There's something else you forgot to say, Eraquor," Lucy said. "The four of us share what's called a 'Link'. Both Phelmic and regular people can create a Link, but there has to be at least one Phelmic person, or else it won't work. We created a Link when I was seven, Ace was ten, and Eraquor and Eracire were thirteen. When you create a Link, it basically means you can talk to the other people in the Link telepathically. A person can be in two Links at most."

"Well, now that that's settled, I have to go," Ace said, standing up. "I'm searching for a man named Blackbeard. So now that I've seen you again, I should go."

"I understand," Lucy said. "See ya, Ace."

"We should probably get going, too," Eraquor said.

"Yeah," Eracire said. "We still have a lot of researching to do."

"Oh!" Eraquor said. "We were poking around the ruins and look what I found!" She pulled out a necklace with a silver chain with a ruby heart in the middle with two diamonds next to it.

"My necklace!" Lucy yelled, staring at it. "How did you find it?"

"We just poked around a bit," she said, a smirk evident. She handed it to Lucy who accepted it and clasped it around her neck delicately.

"Thank goodness," she said, looking at it.

"Remember to train your powers," Eraquor nagged. "You're not nearly at full potiential; not a thousandth!"

"I ask you take care of my baby sis," Ace said. "Having a dense little sister makes her big brother worry."

"I know," she said. Ace, Eraquor and Eracire looked to Zoro, and then to each other. They quickly pulled him away.

"I'll warn you now," Ace said. "If you even **_dare_** to break Luce's heart in _**any**_ way, I will not hesitate in any way to burn you to a crisp while we dance on your ashes." A bead of sweat fell down his temple. Shit. They were protective. With that, they left Zoro alone for the most part, but he could feel death glares. A chill crawled down his spine. He knew their threat wasn't empty. Everyone said their goodbyes and the three left.

~.~

**ACE! *fan girl scream* Oh, if anime guys were real. That'd be the life. :) There you have it! The moment I've been anticipating to write and you've been anticipating to read! :D R&R! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**elric**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**IndigoButterfly**_

_**darkella94**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_"Secrets are things we give to others to keep for us."_

_-Elbert Hubbard_


	46. Journey to Yuba!

**Wolfy-tan: Welcome viewers! Here's chapter 46!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 46: Journey to Yuba!**_

"Lucy," Nami said, approaching her. "We're sorry. We didn't know that you had such a horrid past..."

"It's fine," she said with a grin. "The past is the past. I just hope you'll all be ready when we go to Atsuke. He has followers, so getting to him won't be easy."

"We'll be more than ready," Sanji assured.

"So what's with the necklace?" Vivi asked. Lucy stared at the necklace.

"It used to be my mother's necklace. My father gave it to her before he left, and she later gave it to me with a Phelmic enchantment placed on it," she said. "I remember, her exact words were 'Your father gave me this. I want you to have it, since I have him in my memories, but you have nothing of him.' It's all I have left of my parents." She clutched the necklace, her eyes closed and a smile on her face. When she finally looked up, Nami went over and whispered into her ear. Nami looked at Vivi and they nodded. They dragged her away, and everyone was left in confusion. They watched them drag her to the womens' quarters. When she was back out, she was wearing the outfit Sanji had bought for her.

"Doesn't she look pretty?" Vivi asked. Lucy's straw hat was off, and she was wearing a long veil that went with her outfit that showed off cleavage and her stomach.

"It's not really my thing, though," she said. Sanji's eyes immediately became hearts as he checked her out. Zoro hit him upside the head, but he couldn't help but note how beautiful she looked.

Lucy didn't understand. When she came out with the outfit, the guys immediately stared. It's not like she looked different. Lucy was still Lucy. But the biggest part she didn't understand was that she liked Zoro's stares. But at the same time, it gave her a funny, warm feeling. It made her want to scurry but stay at the same time. Once everyone left the room and they began to sail through the river, right before Lucy put her coat on, Zoro approached her.

"You look beautiful," he said. The same feeling from before came, but she pushed it away.

"Thanks," she said, putting on her smile.

"Since you told us about you," he shtarted. "I want to tell you something."

"What?" Lucy asked, putting on her coat. Zoro told her about Kuina, and how they made a promise that one of them would become the greatest swordsman, and how she died the day after. He could feel tears threatening to fall just from retelling it, but then he remembered. Lucy has not only had to retell her past before, but _relive_ it, too. With that, he pushed his tears aside. He was pathetic. Shedding tears over telling something, when the girl he loves has had to relive it countless times, and will probably have to relive it more. That was when he felt slim arms wrap around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled into her neck. They didn't need words. Actions explained it all. This moment felt right, and all he could do was hope that she would feel the same as he did for her one day.

This moment felt right. That thought crawled into her mind as she let Zoro cling to her. Then another thought followed that one. A thought that wanted his lips on hers. She immediately tried to ignore that thought, but it grew more and more. The want grew more and more. She broke off the hug before she lost her self-control.

"We should be going back up," she said. Zoro nodded and they headed back to the deck. Lucy took off her veil and put her straw hat back on. Then they finally saw Yuba, and they docked.

"We made it!" Lucy said. "Yuba!" She looked around. "But there's no one here." She looked to Vivi. "Let's look for the leader. Where is he?"

"No, Lucy-san, we're not at Yuba yet," Vivi said. "We still have to walk through the desert for half a day north-west."

"Half a day?" Usopp asked. Vivi rolled out a map.

"Look at the map," Vivi said. "We crossed the Sandora River and we just landed here at Erumalu, the 'Green Town'."

"Green Town?" Lucy questioned. "But there's nothing 'green' around here!"

"No," Vivi said. "Not anymore." then something flew out from the water by them.

"What is that?" Lucy asked. "A turtle?"

"A seal?" Usopp asked.

"A Kung Fu Dugong!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Kung Fu?" Usopp verified, getting into stance.

"No, Mister Usopp, get away from it!" Vivi yelled. It was too late, for the Kung Fu Dugong had all ready beaten him. "...They're strong."

"You lost," Zoro stated bluntly.

"We have a winner over there," Nami said, pointing to Lucy who had just beaten one.

"Don't beat them, either!" Vivi barked. "It's Kung Fu Dugong law that the loser of a fight becomes the winner's student."

"Kuo," it said, bowing.

"They're martial artists, then," Zoro said. Soon Lucy had beaten a mass of them and was now teaching them.

"HOW DID YOU GET SO MANY?" Vivi yelled.

"Now, let's go to Yuba!" Lucy said after departing with the Kung Fu Duongs by giving them food.

"If Chopper hadn't talked them out of it, we'd be in major trouble!" Nami nagged.

"Yeah, they kept saying 'We'll come with you...' I had to give them food to keep them away," Chopper explained.

"Why didn't we take them along?" Lucy asked.

"We can't go into town with that many trailing after us!" Nami yelled.

"The Kung Fu Dugongs here are pretty weird, Vivi-chan," Sanji said. "They live in the river?"

"No, the ocean," Vivi responded. "Ever since ancient times, the Sandora River has sustained this country. But lately, the river has lost the force it once had. And now it's being pushed back by the sea, downstream."

"The water those Dugongs live in is..." Sanji said.

"Salt water," she said. "Can't use it on fields, can't drink it."

"Is that why this village dried up?" Zoro asked.

"No. They collected water on the rare occasions it rained," Vivi said. "And the town survived on that, most of the time. Up until recently, this town was a lively place, full of greenplants."

"This place...?" Nami questioned.

"In the past three years, not a single drop of rain has fell into the country," Viv said.

"Is that port town going to be okay?" Chopper asked.

"Nanohana gets its water supply from an oasis at Katorea, so it's safe," Vivi said. "Even in Alabasta, no rain has never been something to worry about...for thousands of years... But there was always one place that got more rain than anywhere else: the capital, Alubarna. The city built around the king's palace. People call it the 'King's Miracle'. At least, they did up to that day..." Vivi talked about how there was a large shipment of dance powder found being carried to the palace.

"It was dance powder?" Nami asked.

"Yes," Vivi said.

"You know what that is?" Lucy asked Nami.

"It's also known as the powder that calls rain," Nami said.

"Powder that calls rain?" Lucy questioned.

"It was created by a country with no rain, long ago," Nami explained. She explained how dance powder worked. "Basically, it was a powder that creates artificial rain."

"I see," Lucy said. "So it's a magic powder."

"So that would make it perfect for this place, right?" Usopp said.

"Originally, yes," Nami said. "The people called it dance powder because they danced in joy, but there's a large pitfall to all of this. It caused a drought to countries downwind! 'Artificial rain' is the process of readying clouds that aren't ready to raini yet. It sucks the water out of the clouds."

"I see!" Usopp said. "It steals rain from the clouds that would mature over the other countries!"

"Yes, and it started a huge war. The loss of lives was profound. Since then, the World Government banned manufacturing and possession of dance powder world-wide," Nami explained.

"A powder that brings both joy and misery..." Usopp muttered.

"That large shipment of dance powder appeared in Nanohana," Vivi said. "Soon afterward, an abnormal weather pattern started, and no rain fell exept for where the king was...!"

"It's normal to distrust the king," Zoro said. "They must of thought he was using the powder to steal all of the rain."

"Now I realize Crocodile's horrible plan was already in affect," Vivi said. "My father was surrounded by a scandel he had nothing to do with...somehow, a large scale of dance powder had been brought into the palace under his nose. It was all a trap set up by Crocodile...! A rebellion arose...just like he planned! Towns dried up, people starved, and an army of furious rebels started a bloody battle with an innocent country...! The kingdom's peace...the people's trust in the royal family...the rain...the towns...and even the people's lives were stolen! And it was done by one man...Crocodile! What right does he have to do these things? I will never ever let him get away with this!" There was a crash. Zoro knew immediately it was Lucy, Sanji, and Usopp letting out their anger.

"Tch, stupid kids," Zoro said. With that, they ventured through the desert, and Lucy was stuck caring their stuff. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they rested at a rock. Lucy looked over.

"There are a bunch of injured birds over here!" Lucy said. "Chopper, come and help 'em!"

"Right!" he said, rushing over.

"Birds?" Vivi said. "Wait, Miss Lucy, those are...!"

"All of our stuff is gone!" Chopper said once he arrived.

"They were dying, I swear!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Those were 'Warusagi', thieves of the desert. They fool travelers and steal their luggage," Vivi explained. "I should of told you earlier."

"They were playing dead?" Usopp exclaimed. "They're swindlers!"

"Yes, they're swindlers," Vivi confirmed.

"Let's take a rest," Zoro said. "We're going to get to Yuba at night, right?"

"Yes..." Vivi said.

"If it's an oasis, then we just need patience," he said. "We're not going to die. Just forget about this. Thinking about it makes my throat dry up. We'll rest ten minutes, then leave." Lucy caught something in the corner of her eye that made her pause. She looked to see the bird sipping at their water.

"Give us back our stuff!" she yelled, chasing after it. She ignored the yelling of the two other females. Soon she was running back to the others, but not alone.

"She's being chased...!" Nami said.

"A giant Sandora Lizard!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Ugh, screw running," Lucy said. Soon the lizard received three attacks from the Mugiwara Crew's three monsters. It immediately died.

"Sanji, is this thing edible?" Lucy asked.

"Looks like it," Sanji said.

"Perfect timing," Zoro commented. Soon the crew was eating lizard meat as their meal.

"What's with the camel?" Sanji questioned.

"Dunno," Lucy said. "When I was chasing the birds, he came running up. Then I saw the lizard chasing him, so I started running, too."

"It doesn't look wild. It has a saddle and everything."

"We can ride it! That'll be so nice!"

"Yeah, good thing. I bet two people can ride on it."

"You really do need camels in the desert."

"'I am just a passing camel,'" Chopper said, translating the camel. "'Thanks for rescuing me. I will let you ride me, but I won't let any guys ride.' That's what he says."

"I'll walk," Vivi said.

"Alright," Nami said, climbing on. "Come on, Lucy."

"Right," she said, getting on.

"I'll name you Eyelash," Nami said. "Now we can get to Yuba faster. Let's go!" With that, the camel ran, leaving the others behind in the dust.

"Will it be alright to just leave them?" Lucy asked.

"They'll be fine," Nami said. "They have two monsters with them, after all." That was, until the others caught up. Then they continued on together again.

"It's nighttime..."

"The temperature's the exact opposite from daytime."

"The desert goes below freezing at night," Vivi said. She pointed in a direction. "There! Can you see that light?"

"Did we make it to Yuba?" Sanji asked.

"I can't see," Lucy said atop Eyelash. "There's too much sand blowing around." Vivi looked at the city with surprise and horror.

"Something's wrong with the town!"

~.~

**That's that. Remember to R&R. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_elric_**

**_angelvan105_**

**_Mimi522_**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

**_IndigoButterfly_**

**_LazyFoxLover_**

****_"I have a lot of great memories, but I can't imagine anything more exciting than the life I have now."_

_-Rob Lowe_


	47. Course Set to Rainbase!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 47!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece.**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_**: Yes, they did. Sorry for the confusion. :)**

_**inudbuzgirl**_**: You're not the only one who wishes that. *sigh***

_**IndigoButterfly**_**: I actually wrote that they were going to, but I felt as if everything would be rushed so I deleted it. Patience is key. :D**

_**Chapter 47: The Path to Find Crocodile: Course Set to Rainbase!**_

"A sandstorm!" Vivi exclaimed, watching the sand swirl furiously about the town. "Yuba's being attacked by a sandstorm!" They hurried and rushed to the town once the sandstorm ended.

"Impossible...!" Vivi said, staring at the empty oasis.

"Damn," Zoro said. "This place isn't any different from Erumalu."

"Where's the water?" Lucy asked, looking around atop Eyelash.

"Isn't this supposed to be an oasis, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked.

"The sand has raised to ground level..." Vivi said. "The oasis has been completely swallowed up...!"

"I'm afraid this town's a little dried up," an old man shoveling said, catching the group's attention. "But you can still rest. There're plenty of inns; that's what we're known for."

"Excuse me," Vivi said. "But we heard the rebellion was based here..."

"...What do you want with the rebellion?" the man asked. He began chucking whatever he could find at them.

"Don't tell me you want to join those filthy rebels!" He returned to digging. "Those fools aren't here anymore!" Everyone looked at him in shock.

"No way...!" Vivi said.

"That sandstorm you saw just now...it wasn't the first to attack this town," he said, continuing to dig. "The drought has been drying us up for the last three years. The sandstorms have come more and more frequently! The sand has been steadily eating away at the oasis, and now, it is as you see it today. Without circulation of goods, the rebellion cannot continue their war of endurance...they have moved their base of operations at 'Katorea'..."

"Ah!" Vivi muttered. A happy expression was not on her face at the moment.

"Where's that, Vivi?" Lucy asked. "Is it close?"

"It's the oasis next to Nanohana..."

"NANOHANA?" all of the Mugiwaras shouted.

"Then coming here was for nothing?" Lucy asked.

"Vivi...? Did you say Vivi?" the man asked. "Are you Vivi-chan? Are you really?" He rushed to her, "I'm so glad you're alive...! It's me! Don't you remember?" Vivi looked at him blankly.

"I guess not," he said. "I did lose some weight..." Lucy looked at him in realization.

"Mister Toto?" she asked.

"That's right," he said. Vivi covered her mouth with her hand.

"No..." she muttered. Tears fell down Toto's eyes.

"Toto-san?" Lucy asked.

"Listen to me, Vivi-chan! I believe in the king...he'd never betray our country!" Toto exclaimed. "Isn't that right? The rebellion is absurd! Please; I beg of you! Stop those fools! You're the only one who can do it!" Vivi nodded, shock still struck in her facial features, but it also had a certain sad twinkle, as if recollecting memories. Toto fell to his knees.

"We have tried to stop them...over and over again!" he said. "But you can't tell them anything...their power will soon overtake ours...they plan to end it all with the next attack! They're caught up to us...they're prepared to die! Please, Vivi-chan...stop those fools, before it's too late!" There was a silence until Vivi broke it. She held out a hankerchief.

"Toto-san," she said. He looked up through his tears.

"Vivi-chan..." he said.

"We can stop the rebellion!" she said with a smile.

"Yes..." he said. "Thank you...!"

_Later on..._

While the other Mugiwaras and Vivi went to bed, the she-captain stayed up with Toto to dig at the oasis.

"Hey, Ossan!" Lucy said. "There's no water and my throat is dried out. It must be hard living here."

"The water will come...the Yuba oasis will live on," he said, digging. "Yuba cannot be defeated by mere sand. I'll just dig it back up. This is the land I was given by the king!"

"Okay," she said. "Let's dig!" However, as she began to dig her hole, she threw the sand into Toto's hole.

"Hey, wait! Don't throw the sand in my hole!" he exclaimed. "You said you wanted to dig a hole!"

"Uh...yeah," she said. "That's what I'm doing."

"No, the sand from your hole is going into my hole," he said. "That defeats the whole purpose of digging a hole!"

"So it's a magic hole."

"No, it's not!"

_Later on..._

Toto looked down into the huge hole digged out, only to find her sleeping in it. He climbed down into it and picked her up, and brought her into the inn with everyone else. He put her between Nami and Zoro, then left. Zoro, in his sleep, put his arm around her waist. Lucy, also asleep, snuggled into his chest.

_The Next Day..._

Zoro was the first to wake up. When he saw his arm around Lucy's waist, and that she was snuggled with her, well...he actually wasn't that surprised. Nonetheless, he was a little embarrassed. What if he didn't wake up first? What wouldn've happened if one of the others caught this? Instant blackmail from Nami, that's for sure. According to her, he still owed some shitload of Berri to her that he did _not_ want to pay. He immediately got up and went outside. Soon everyone else was up and they were getting set to go.

"I am sorry for acting disgracefully, Vivi-chan," Toto apologized.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "We're going now, Toto-san."

"Yes..." he said. He turned to Lucy, "Lucy-chan, please take this."

"Water!" she said, taking the small barrel of water with a straw. "You got some?"

"Right after you fell asleep, we reached water level," he explained. "I managed to squeeze out the water and distill it."

"Wow, that sounds difficult," she said. She bowed. "Thank you. I will drink it carefully."

"Genuine Yuba water," Toto said. "I'm sorry this was all I could give to you." With that, Nami and Lucy boarded Eyelash and they set off. Soon, something crossed Lucy's mind and she jumped off Eyelash and sat down under a small, leafless tree of the sort.

"What're you doing?" Nami asked.

"Is something wrong, Lucy-san?" Vivi asked.

"I quit," was all she responded with.

"You 'quit'...?" Vivi asked. "What do you mean, Lucy-san?"

"We don't have time for your stupid games, Lucy!" Nami yelled. "Get up!"

"We're going back," she stated.

"Yeah, we're taking the road we took yesterday to go to Katorea and stop the rebellion," Sanji said. "If one million citizens of this country clash, it's all over!"

"Boring," she said. "Vivi."

"What?" she asked.

"I want to beat the crap outta Crocodile!" she responded. "If we stop the guys who are rebelling, will it stop Crocodile? We can't do anything, even if we do go to Katorea. We're pirates. You'd be better off without us." Silence loomed over them.

"Sometimes she hits the bullseye without even thinking," Sanji muttered.

"That's Lucy for you," Usopp agreed.

"...Well...!" Vivi was caught off by Lucy.

"You just don't want anyone to die in the war!" Lucy spat. "Whether it's the people of your country, us, or anyone! You're talking about a fight against one of the Seven Warlords, in which over one million people will be in battle, and all you want is for no one to die! All you're doing is being naive."

"Stop, Lucy!" Nami yelled. "Think of Vivi's feelings...!"

"Wait, Nami-san," Sanji said, holding his arm in front of her. She said a 'but' in protest, but Sanji didn't let her continue.

"What's wrong with that?" Vivi retorted. "What's wrong about not wanting people to die?"

"People die," Lucy said simply.

_**SMACK**_

Lucy held her cheek and looked to Vivi with a blank face.

"Stop talking like that! Don't you dare say that again! That's what we're trying to stop!" Vivi yelled. "You can't blame the rebels or the army for this! Why should anyone die! This is all Crocodile's fault! Don't say this just because your whole family was killed!" All the Mugiwaras stared at Vivi in shock.

.

.

.

**_SMAAAACK_**

"That's right, my family was killed," Lucy said. "But that's the last reason I'm saying this. We're focusing on your issues right now, not mine. Even I can tell what this country needs the most just by looking at it! You think just risking your own life is enough?"

"Then what am I supposed to risk?" she asked. "There's nothing else for me to risk!"

"Why don't you try risking our lives too!" Lucy yelled. "I thought we were friends!" Vivi fell to her knees, tears falling. Lucy sat next to her.

"...Look at you. You're crying," Lucy said. "You're the one who wants to kill him the most! Tell me where Crocodile is!" Vivi nodded and wiped her tears. The Mugiwaras gave her a minute to calm down. She unrolled her map. She pointed to a specific spot.

"This is the oasis where Crocodile is, called 'Rainbase'. Straight to the north of Yuba," she explained. "It will take a whole day to walk through the desert."

"Will there be water there?" Chopper asked, his tongue hanging from thirst.

"Yes, it will be safe," she said. "It's a gambling town, seperate from all the fighting."

"Ooh, gambling?" Nami asked, her eyes immediately turning to Berri.

"Oh no, what're you thinking?" Zoro asked, sweat-dropping.

"I guess there are towns like that even in Alabasta," Sanji said, smoking his cigarette.

"Rubber No Way!" Lucy yelled, stretching her arms away from Usopp, the water from Yuba in her hands.

"All you have to do is give me a sip," Usopp said, crying anime tears. "He gave us that water so we could use it!"

"No way."

"Gimme."

"No way. Rubber No Way!"

"Gimme!"

"Suna Ossan gave us this water after digging all night long!" Lucy exclaimed. "We can't just drink it right away, baka!"

"So you really can restrain yourself when you want to," Nami said.

"Of course I can!" Lucy fumed. "How rude!"

"All right, let's go," Zoro said, walking.

"North is this way, fool," Nami said from the opposite direction. As they traveled, Vivi tugged at Lucy's sleeve. Lucy looked down at her.

"Lucy-san," Vivi said. "I want to thank you for before. I couldn't of made that decisionn without you. I also apologize for bringing up your family."

"Then feed me." Vivi looked up in surprise.

"If you're really grateful and sorry, then feed me 'til I explode once I whoop Crocodile's ass," Lucy said simply.

"Okay, I promise," Vivi agreed with a grin as if she was a child that was just given candy.

~.~

**I'm sorry I haven't updated! I was having a sleepover for a couple days with my friend since she just got out of school and we haven't had a sleepover in ages. So there's the chapter. Remember: R&R. Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_**Mimi522**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**IndigoButterfly**_

_**inudbuzgirl**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**elric**_

_"I don't think we should ever be at war. That's kind of naive, I suppose."_

_-Sandy Duncan_


	48. Crocodile Reveals Lucy's Baroque Secret!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! Here's chapter 48!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 48: Crocodile Reveals Lucy's Baroque Secret!_  
><strong>

"I see it!" Vivi yelled as they walked. She pointed to what seemed a lively town. "That's Rainbase!"

"We made it?" Sanji said.

"YES!" Lucy yelled. "CROCODILE, IMMA KICK YOUR ASS!"

"WAAAADAAAAH(water)!" Usopp yelled.

"By the way, Usopp, did you finish it?" Nami asked.

"'It'?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah...I finished it," Usopp said as he pulled out rods. "This is your new weapon: 'Clima Tact'!"

"Clima Tact?" Nami asked, inspecting it when he handed the rods to her. Usopp explained how it worked and Sanji was going off about how he'd protect Vivi and Nami.

"Just call me 'Prince'!" Sanji concluded.

"Prince," Zoro said with a blank face.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, DAMN IT!" Sanji yelled.

"Hey, do you think Baroque Works know we're here?" Zoro asked.

"Most likely," Lucy said. "Considering we met Mister Two and we know Mister Three is here. Knowing these two key points, it is safe to assume they know." Lucy bit her lip and looked down. No one except Zoro noticed this odd behavior. He raised his eyebrow.

_'My reunion with Crocodile will begin soon...'_ She grasped her ruby necklace.

_Later..._

Lucy and Usopp rushed into the restaurant with only one thing in their mind: water. They demanded water and drank directly from the barrel. When they heard two familiar voices, they both looked over, and the mouth immediately shot from their mouths when they saw who it was: Smoker and Bitch Tashigi. Lucy decided that Tashigi's new name was Bitch Tashigi and immediately ran out of the restaurant with the water barrels in their hands.

"Why are the marines here?" Lucy asked.

"How should I know?" Usopp responded. "Let's get out of here!" Soon they saw their crew.

"Hey, guys!" Lucy yelled. "The marines are here!"

"You're the one who brought them!" Zoro asked with a popped vein as the rest joined in running.

"This isn't good, guys!" Sanji said. "With us running like this, it'll be easy for Baroque Works to spot us!"

"I think it's too late," Zoro said.

"Let's go, then," Lucy said. "Where's Crocodile, Vivi?"

"He's in the building with the crocodile on top," she said, pointing. "That's the casino he owns, 'Rain Dinners'!"

"We should scatter," Sanji said.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed.

"Alright, we'll meet up at the 'Croc's House'!" Lucy said. With that, they split.

"Come and get me, Smokey!" Lucy yelled.

"That little punk..." Smokey said. "Don't think you can run away forever! 'White Bind'!" With that, he sent his smoke to Lucy, which bound around her tight.

"R-Rubber...Balloon...!" she yelled, inflating herself so the smoke would expand. Once she returned to normal, she caught onto something while managing to escape the marines' eyes.

"Damn..." she muttered. When she got up, Smoker found her again and was now chasing her as she ran to the meeting place. She saw Zoro, Nami, and Usopp there.

"Damn it!" she yelled, catching their attention. "Smokey's chasing me! Let's go; run inside!" With that, they ran inside, escaping Smoker's sight. They were told they were invited to the VIP room, which was, no matter how you twisted your thoughts around it, extremely suspicious.

"Is he saying 'Bring it on'?" Nami asked.

"Clever guy," Zoro said with a smirk.

"Let's go," Lucy said.

"This is leading us straight to our deaths!" Usopp said. As they walked in, Usopp insisted that they go to the pirate side between going to VIP or Pirates. Thanks to that, they fell into a pit, Smoker not far behind. Lucy inspected the cage they were in.

"Seastone," she noted.

"Seastone?" Usopp asked.

"A stone that only exists in a certain sea," Lucy explained. "Touching it for a DF user is the same as falling in the ocean."

"All the marine headquarters' prisons are made of this stuff. It keeps the prisoners with Devil Fruit powers from getting away," Smoker added. "This metal is still a mystery to us, though, but we do know it emits the same energy as the sea, as if it was the solidified version of the sea."

"Then this cage is made of the same...!" Nami said.

"If it wasn't, I'd be long gone," Smoker said. "Of course, I'll get rid of all of you, first." Zoro, taking it as a threat, drew his sword.

"W-Wait guys!" Usopp said. "We can't fight in this predicament!"

"He's right," a voice said. One of the chairs from outside the cage twirled around to show Crocodile. "You'll kill each other. Why can't we all just be friends...?"

"Crocodile...!" Smoker said.

"Oh? You really are a stray hound, Smoker-kun," Crocodile said. "You never thought of me as an ally from the start." He turned to Lucy.

"Lucy-chan, it's very nice to see you again," Crocodile said. Lucy glared as everyone, even Smoker, looked to her in confusion.

"Damn you, Crocodile," Lucy said. "Why couldn't you help me keep my secret for just a little while longer?"

"Where would the fun be in that, Lucy-chan?" he asked.

"I'll never forgive you," Lucy said. "Samuel died because of you!" Everyone was now very confused.

"It seems you never broke your secret to your nakama," Crocodile said. "Well if you won't say it, I'll say it for you."

"Stop it, Crocodile!" Lucy yelled, grasping the seastone and to fall to her knees. She let go of the bars, but kept her head low.

"Your little captain," Crocodile said. "Is the rumored 'Miss Good Friday'." Lucy's hands balled into fists as the rest looked at her in shock.

"You can never keep your mouth shut, Crocodile..." Lucy said.

"That's not true, right?" Usopp said. "After all, this is our first time on the Grand Line."

"It's not my first time," Lucy said, leaving everyone puzzled. "This is my second time on the Grand Line. The first time was when I was ten years old."

"Why?" Nami asked. "What could you possibly gain from joining these horrible people?"

"Yes, why, Miss Good Friday?" Crocodile asked.

"You of all people know!" Lucy barked at Crocodile. "After all, when you found out our intentions, you sent the lowers to kill us!"

"Our?" Nami asked.

"Kill?" Usopp asked.

"Intention?" Zoro asked.

"Oh yes, that's right," Crocodile said. "I remember now. You were looking for information about what my higher-up was doing."

"Higher-up?" Usopp asked.

"Crocodile is one of the many hired underlings under Atsuke," Lucy said with venom. "When I was ten, a man named Samuel came to my town who was a Darneel. Despite that, he was a traveler who tried to keep himself separated from his family. When my siblings and I met him, he told us great stories and we became great friends. But when we told him what happened to our family...he said that he was traveling to find a way to stop Atsuke. When I told him of my parents, he was shocked. Before long, we made a plan to join Baroque Works to find information on Atsuke. But..." Lucy looked down.

"But when Crocodile found out two years later, he sent Mister One and Miss Double Finger after us. Back then, I was only twelve and weak, and Samuel, being fifteen, took responsibility and tried to escape, but we realized we couldn't escape this alive. He sacrificed himself so I could escape, and his final words were, 'You are the one destined to save us all'," Lucy said finally.

"Now, now," Crocodile said. "Don't blame me just because he thought you were important." Lucy gave him a death glare that, if looks could kill, would send him straight to hell.

"Shut up! You wouldn't understand what a dear friend he was to me! He was one of the few people who understood me! Don't give me your bullshit!" She yelled, making everyone surprised by her outburst.

"Mister Six, or 'Samuel' as you call him, was too kind. You were much better at your duties then him," Crocodile said.

"In that case, you've never seen how cruel he could be on a battlefield..." Lucy said.

"No matter, you'll all be killed soon," Crocodile said. "But we must wait for the guest of honor. I've sent my partner to retrieve her."

"Crocodile!" a voice Lucy recognized yelled from the top of the steps. She looked to see Miss All Sunday holding Vivi.

"Vivi!" Usopp and Nami yelled.

"Well hello, welcome Vivi, princess of Alabasta," Crocodile said. "No, Miss Wednesday. You have done an admirable job of avoiding assassins on the way here."

"Of course I'd come...!" Vivi said. "I'd come from anywhere to watch you die...!"

"It's your worthless country that's going to die, Miss Wednesday," Crocodile said, causing Vivi to freeze up. Then, suddenly breaking out from that, she took out her weapons and launched at Crocodile.

"If you weren't here, Alabasta would be at peace!" she shouted, charging at him.

"Wait, Vivi! Get us out of this cage!" Lucy yelled.

"Peacock String Slasher!" she yelled, sending her weapon to Crocodile.

"That's not gonna work!" Lucy yelled. "He's a...!" Crocodile turned to sand. "...Logia DF User..."

"Are you satisfied, Miss Wednesday?" Crocodile asked. He reappeared behind her and grabbed her so she couldn't escape from his clutches.

"If you live in this country, you should know about my 'Sand Fruit' power..." he said. "Shall I turn you into a mummy?"

"S-Sand man!" Usopp yelled.

"Damn it! Let go of Vivi!" Lucy yelled. "I'll kill you!" Crocodile threw her to the ground.

"Sit...and stop glaring at me," Crocodile said. "It's just about time for the party to begin...am I wrong, Miss All Sunday?"

"You are correct," she said. "It's past seven." Miss All Sunday tied Vivi to the chair as Crocodile spoke of his plan to the captured Mugiwaras, Vivi, and Smoker.

"So it's begun," Zoro said. Lucy's teeth clenched.

"What an evil plan..." Nami said.

"What do you think, Miss Wednesday? The plan that you sat up is blooming. If you listen carefully, I bet you could hear the shouting all over Alabasta!" Crocodile said. "And what do you suppose all of them believe? That we will protect them...!"

"Stop it!" Vivi cried. "How can you be so awful...?" Crocodile laughed.

"Isn't that a tearjerker?" Crocodile asked. "Love for one's country will destroy it in the end...!"

"You bastard!" Lucy yelled. "If this cage wasn't here...!"

"Haha, I remember the hassle I went through to get this far!" Crocodile said. "Collecting up members, scraping up the money to buy the silver necessary to produce the dance powder...stirring up towns to the brink of destruction...teaching my employees how to carry out false acts of army corruption...slowly eroding people's trust in their king and increasing their frustration...! Do you want to know why I wish to control your country so bad, Miss Wednesday?"

"How could I understand what goes on in your rotted head?" Vivi spat.

"Hmm...a foul-mouthed princess," Crocodile said. Vivi threw herself to the ground with the chair she was tied to.

"Whoa there," Crocodile said. "What do you think you're doing, Miss Wednesday?"

"We can stop you!" Vivi exclaimed. "We can still make it in time...! If we just go to Alubarna, directly east of here...! If we can go to Alubarna before the rebellion does, there's a chance we can stop them!"

"Oh, isn't that odd?" Crocodile asked. "We were just going there, as well. _Straight_ to Alubarna to ask your daddy one little question...!"

"What...? Now what are you going to do with my father...!" Vivi asked.

"Which is more important to you? These people, or your father, Miss Wednesday?" Crocodile asked, holding up a key. "Haha, if you wanna come with us, go right ahead..."

"A key? Is that...?" Vivi asked. "...the key to the cage?" Crocodile tossed it into a pit.

"Go and get it, Miss Wednesday," Crocodile said, his smirk he was wearing the whole time only growing more and more.

~.~

**Here it is! Chapter 48! Lucy's past with Baroque Works is revealed to Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Smoker! DUN DUN DUN!...Yeah. Anyways, R&R, and I'll see you next chapter! Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_elric_  
><strong>

**_IndigoButterfly_**

**_Mimi522_**

**_angelvan105_**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_****"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same."_

_-Elbert Hubbard_


	49. Mister Prince!

**Wolfy-tan: What's up viewers? Here's chapter 49!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 49: Mister Prince!_**

"Of course, the clash between the army and the rebellion can be avoided," Crocodile said. "There are about eight hours left until the killing begins, but don't think you have the time; it will still take longer than that to get to Alubarna from here. If you want to stop them, you have to leave right now, Miss Wednesday...or else..." he lauged. "Hundreds of thousands will die! Of course, it's up to you whether or not you save these fools. Go ahead and open the cage. Oops, too bad I dropped the key through that hole in the floor, though."

"Look!" Lucy said, pointing to one of the windows that had water filled on the other side of it.

"There're crocodiles there," Lucy said.

"And bananas are growing out of their heads," Sanji added. Lucy turned to Vivi whose face seemed to of fell.

"What's wrong, Vivi?" Lucy asked.

"One of the crocodiles...just swallowed the key!" she exclaimed. Now everyone else's faces, aside from Zoro and Smoker's, resembled Vivi's.

"Well," Lucy said. Her voice filled with sarcasm, "Aren't we in a wonderful position!"

"Ooh, I'm very sorry...those guys think anything I drop down there is food," Crocodile said with his smirk. "And besides, now you can't tell which one ate it." As he said that, more and more crocodiles joined the one below as they swam.

"That jerk!" Nami said, losing her temper.

"Damn, even if we get out of this cage, we'll have to deal with those reptiles," Zoro said.

"Damn you, Crocodile," Lucy muttered.

"Well then, we're just going to take our leave now," Crocodile said. "Also, this room is going to automatically self-destruct in one hour. I have no use for Baroque's secret base anymore. Water will fill into this room and turn it into part of the Rainbase lake. One million innocent civilians...or four worthless pirates with no future ahead of them? Do you like gambling?" He laughed. "Even the princess is powerful in these circumstances. It was too easy to do my work here. There are so many idiots...especially those young rebels and a certain hole-digging man...!"

"Eh? You mean Suna Ossan?" Lucy asked.

"So you know him?" Crocodile asked. "What a stupid geezer...he keeps digging up an oasis that died long before...it's hilarious, isn't it?" He laughed.

"And he thinks he can overcome the sandstorms, over and over..."

"Teme...!" Lucy spat.

"Tell me, Mugiwara Lucy," Crocodile said. "Do you think sandstorms can attack towns so successfully so repetitively?"

"It was you...!" Lucy said. She muttered the last part, "I should of known...!" Her eyes filled with raw rage.

"I'll kill you..." Vivi said, tears threatening to fall from her said eyes. Crocodile laughed wildly as he and Miss All Sunday left. Then, as if on cue from the loss of Crocodile's presence, water began bursting from the small hole.

"GAAAH!" Usopp yelled. "Water's coming up through the floor! The room is gonna be flooded to the top! VIVI, DO SOMETHING; SAVE US! I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE THE LAST HOUR OF MY LIFE!"

"Just shut up, would you?" Zoro asked, irritated.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Usopp questioned. "Do you know what happens if we don't do anything? WE DIE!" Vivi, with tears threatening to flow, got out her weapons to attack Crocodile, but dropped them and fell to her knees.

"Vivi..." Lucy muttered. "Do something! Get us out of here!" Crocodile laughed.

"Are you begging for your life already, Lucy-chan?" he asked. "I guess everyone is afraid of dying...!"

"If we die here, who will stop him?" Lucy asked. Crocodile paused and looked back to her.

"Don't get conceited, weak girl," Crocodile said.

"You're the conceited one," Lucy said. "Weakling!"

"THAT'S ONE OF THE SEVEN WARLORDS, YOU FOOL!" Nami and Usopp shouted. Lucy sent them a glare. She grabbed them both and whispered.

"You think I don't know that?" Then the two, remembering her past with Baroque, both nodded.

"Come," Crocodile said, and a huge bananadile emerged in front of Crocodile.

"If you're going to abandon them, now's the time to do it, Miss Wednesday," Crocodile said. "You want to stop the rebellion, right? Haha..." The bananadile stood in front of the exit, only allowing Crocodile and his partner pass.

"It's enormous," Vivi muttered.

"Oi-Oi, look at the window!" Nami said. "They're all lining up!"

"Waiting their turn for food," Zoro concluded. Vivi drew her weapons.

"So you want to fight, fine," Crocodile said. "Kill all of them, and the key will be in one of their stomachs." The bananadile roared.

"Peacock String...!" Vivi was interrupted by the random attack of the bananadile, which caused Vivi to be thrown into the air.

"It's so fast...!" Usopp gawked. "It crushed the stone staircase in one bite!" The bananadile swung its tail at Vivi, sending her back.

"The tail!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Damn it!" Usopp yelled. "That monster's unbeatable!" That was when ringing was heard. Everyone listened to the conversation.

**"Hello?"**

"Hello?" Miss All Sunday asked.

**"Can you hear me?"**

"Yes, I can," Miss All Sunday said. "You're 'Millions', aren't you?"

**"Hey, is this thing coming through? I ain't ever used one of these baby snails...hello?"**

"What is it?" Miss All Sunday asked.

**"Oh, okay. I'll just talk like this."**

"Spit it out already!" Crocodile commanded. "What happened?"

**"Oh, that voice...I've heard that voice before. Welcome, sir. This is the shitty restaurant."**

"'Shitty restaurant'...!" Crocodile said.

**"Nice, you remembered...I'm so happy."**

"Shitty restaurant?" Usopp asked.

"That sounds like..." Nami said. She wore a smile while Lucy wore what seemed to be a mixture between a grin and a smirk.

"Who the hell are you?" Crocodile demanded.

**"Me? I am...Mister 'Prince'."**

"I see. Mister Prince, where are you?"

**"Can't tell ya. If I do, you'll come kill me, right? Well, whether or not you can or not is yet to be seen. I give out lots of 'info' easily...and I'm not an idiot, unlike you, Mister Zero."**

"Prince, save us!" the Mugiwaras, besides Zoro, began yelling.

"We've been captured!"

"We don't have much time left!"

**"Haha, konw what that sounds like? My crew...very well, I'll just be-" *fighting noises***

**"Hah...hah...that pesky bastard...hah...hah...what should we do with this weirdo?"**

"Where are you? Spit it out!" Crocodile exclaimed.

**"Yes sir...at the front gate of the casino called 'Rain Dinners', in Rainbase."**

"That useless idiot!" Zoro exclaimed. "He better be alive!"

"Sanji!" Lucy exclaimed.

"GYAAAH!" Usopp yelled.

"Our only hope," Nami muttered.

***beep* *beep***

Crocodile laughed wildly, "Fine, let's go to the front gate."

"Are you sure?" All Sunday asked. "The Millions still don't know who their boss is."

"I'm not going as their boss. We haven't showed ourselves to anyone except the number agents," Crocodile said. "What's so odd about Crocodile the casino owner coming up to the front door to see what in the world is going on?"

The bananadile dived at Vivi again while she was distracted. Vivi began climbing to the staircase.

"What're you trying to do, Vivi?" Nami asked.

"We still have time until the water fills the room!" she exclaimed. "I'm going outside to call for help!"

"You're right, maybe that didn't really kill Sanji!" Usopp said. "If Vivi can free Sanji somehow..."

"And Chopper's still outside!" Nami added. "He might be able to do something!" Crocodile launched his sand at Vivi, who was turned away at the second.

"Oi!" Lucy yelled. "Look out!" Unfortunately, Vivi didn't have time to react as Crocodile's hook formed from the sand hand surrounded her neck.

"Vivi!" Lucy yelled. Vivi yelled in pain as Crocodile threw her.

"Cut that bullshit out!" he yelled. Vivi's eyes were closed as she hit the ground.

"Vivi, open your eyes!" Lucy yelled to her.

"The croc is coming!" Usopp said, referring to the bananadile. Crocodile returned back to the staircase.

"If you love your friends so much, you can die with them. The water's already filled the crocodile feeding room and is now going to flood this room," Crocodile said. "I think I'll bring that punk 'Mister Prince' here, too...as a corps, that is...hahaha...!" Lucy's face was completely written with rage.

"DAMN IT!" Lucy yelled as Crocodile exited. The bananadile drew closer.

"Vivi!" Usopp yelled out. Vivi opened her eyes, blood pouring down her face from being thrown down so violently. The bananadile roared loudly and charged at her. She dodged and jumped onto it, using its height to help her to the staircase.

"Yes, she got away!" Nami cheered. The bananadile bit into the staircase, causing it to break. The bananadile's tail hit one of the windows, breaking it, causing more water to pour in. They now they only had a mere twenty minutes left until the room was completely filled.

"Is Vivi okay?" Nami asked.

"Listen, everyone!" Vivi said, safely on the staircase that didn't break. "Just wait a little longer! I'm going to find help...! I will not let you all die!"

"Go Vivi go!" Lucy and Usopp cheered.

"Vivi..." Nami muttered. With that, Vivi left.

Now all that was left was to wait.

~.~

**I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, we went to our grandfather's house to celebrate Father's Day, so happy belated Father's Day! Good luck with your lives, men! Remember to review! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Mimi522**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**elric**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

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_**Crazy4Reading**_

_**hinamori chrome**_

_"Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something."_

_-Wilson Minzer_


	50. Escaping Captivity!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 50!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:**

**_angelvan105_: Yup. I hope you did too! :)  
><strong>

**_IndigoButterfly_: Yeah, forever rivals -.-' It makes me happy to know I made someone smile :):):)  
><strong>

**_Chapter 50: Escaping Captivity!_  
><strong>

Lucy watched as the water rose more and more. Nami had tried to have the bananadile bite the cage and break it open, but it didn't work; not even that banana creature can break the indestructible sea stone.

"Oi," Smoker said.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO DAMN CALM!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Yeah, you can think of something too, y'know!" Nami said.

"How much do you know of Crocodile'ss targets?" Smoker asked Lucy. Lucy looked down.

"I'm guessing this is about Miss All Sunday's bounty and history," Lucy sighed, and Smoker nodded. Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"That woman with Crocodile is an outlaw whose been on the run from the World Government for twenty years," Crocodile explained.

"The price on her head is more than seventy million Berri," Lucy added.

"Se-Seventy million?" Usopp exclaimed. "S-So what?"

"Almost as big as Crocodile's..." Nami murmured.

"With those two joining forces, this is no longer just the takeover of a nation anymore," he said. "If we don't do something now, this will develop into a disaster that will envelop the entire world."

"You're right," Lucy said. "Because their goal isn't a good one."

_'What they don't know is that Robin is planning to lie to Crocodile about the Poneglyph,' _Lucy thought to herself.

"Besides," Lucy said, cracking her knuckles. "I have plenty reasons already to kick his sorry ass!"

"Fine," Smoker said. "So how're you going to get out of here?" Lucy felt herself getting dizzy, and when she looked down, she knew why. The water had rose up to her thigh already! Her damn thigh! Lucy felt herself lose more and more energy.

"ANTI-MANNER KICK COURSE!" they heard from a familiar voice as the bananadile flipped and hit the ground on his back. Everyone looked in shock, except for Smoker, of course.

"Hey," a familiar blonde said, holding his cigarette out. "Were you waiting?" Lucy grinned ear to ear. Usopp shouted in joy.

"Stop screwing around and find the key!" Zoro yelled.

"Lucy! Nami-swan! Do you love me?" Sanji said, his body resembling noodles as he flailed about with hearts in his eyes.

"Yes, yes, now open the door!" Nami yelled.

"His eternal stupidity knows no bounds," Zoro said as he and Nami sweat-dropped.

"Vivi!" Lucy yelled, giving her a thumbs up. "Good job!"

"Thanks!" she responded, returning the thumbs up. It was then that more and more bananadiles began to come up.

"Go, Sanji!" Lucy cheered. "Go and kill all of them!"

"Hai, Lucy!" Sanji yelled back, hearts dancing in his eyes. One of the bananadiles growled.

"Bring on as many you want, you goddamn bananas," Sanji said, raising his leg, getting ready for an attack. "I have to knock all the table manners I know into assholes that would harm a lady...!"

"We don't have time, Sanji!" Usopp yelled. "Kill them in seconds! Kill them in an instant."

"Get the third one that just entered the room," Smoker said. Lucy smiled at him.

"Good ears," she complimented. "Sanji! The third one that entered the room has the key!"

"Right, Lucy!" Sanji said as he beat the one Lucy and Smoker spoke of. Out came not a key, but a ball of the sort.

"Candle Ball," a voice said. The ball cracked and out came a disgustingly familiar person. "Freedom! Yes...! W...Water! It's a miracle!"

"It's him...!" Zoro said.

"Mister Three!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Mister Three...!" Vivi said. "Why were you in the Crocodile's stomach?"

"Haah haaah! I am revived! I thought I was a goner! Hehehe...you were naive to think you could exterminate me, Crocodile!" he said, not realizing he had company. "The moment I was swallowed, I used the last of my power to create this 'Candle Ball' and was able to protect myself from harm. A brilliant plan if I do say so myself. Oh? What's this strange key-like object attached to my Candle Ball?" He turned around to see the group caged up.

"GYAH! IT'S YOU!" he exclaimed.

"AAAH, THAT'S OUR KEY!" Lucy yelled.

"GIVE IT HERE!" Nami yelled.

"What about this key...?" he muttered. "Wait: a steadily flooding room, a metal cage, and a key...! Oh, I see! I have grasped your plight." A smirk was now on his face.

"So you're Mister Three..." Sanji said. "Hand over the key."

"Here you go!" he said, throwing it into the air. He laughed mischievously. "I don't know who you are, but you look like their friend! Find the key if you want it! But I'm not responsible on whether or not you find it or not."

"Asshole," Zoro said.

"Wait, Sanji!" Lucy yelled. She and Nami exchanged looks, both coming up with the idea. They nodded and looked to Sanji.

"You can use his Candle power to create a duplicate key!" Nami shouted. Sanji smirked and nodded, and beated Mister Three until he did. Once he did, Sanji kicked him, sending him flyinig and crashing into the wall. Sanji unlocked the cage.

"Hurry, we don't have much time!" Vivi said. "I think the tunnel they went down should lead to Alubarna, but there are still too many Bananadiles in the tunnel!"

"You don't have to worry about that," Nami said, sweat-dropping at Sanji, Lucy and Zoro who had already beaten them.

"Was that it?" Lucy asked. "Oh well, I couldn't use my full power because of the water."

"I couldn't do anything against only one..." Vivi said, her face in her hands.

"No Vivi, it's not your fault!" Usopp said. "Those guys are just freakishly strong!"

**_CRACK_**

"AH, the walls cracking!" Lucy yelled.

"That's because you were fighting so recklessly!" Nami scolded. Lucy went up and whispered something into Sanji's ear, who seemed confused but nodded. Soon the water came in through the crack at lightning speed, and Zoro grabbed onto Lucy because he knew she'd be completely helpless in the water. Once Zoro reached surface, he helped Lucy up, who was coughing out water, mixed with blood.

_'Geez, was it really that bad?' _Zoro thought. _'No, it's something else. After all, this isn't the first time she has had a coughing fit involving blood. I wonder, was there somethings her and her siblings didn't mention when explaining her predicament?'_

Soon Vivi and Nami were helping Usopp and Sanji was helping...Smoker?

"Why'd you bring our enemy up, Sanji?" Zoro asked.

"Shut up," Sanji said. "It wasn't a decision I wanted to make. He's not gonna die, anyways."

"Whatever, let's hurry," Zoro said.

"We've lost a lot of time," Sanji said. "Can we still make it, Vivi-chan?"

"I don't know," she said, wringing out her coat.

"Nami-san, do you still have the perfume you bought in Nanohana?" Sanji asked.

"Yes...why?" Nami questioned.

"Put it on," he said.

"Like this?" Nami asked, spritzing it on her neck. Sanji's eyes became hearts.

"I'm falling in love with you all over again!" he said.

"Seriously, just die," Zoro said.

"Teme!" Smoker yelled as he sent his weapon at Sanji, who blocked it with his leg. "Why'd you save me?"

"I can't ignore a lady's order," he said. "Especially when that lady is my kawaii captain. You don't have to thank me. It was just Lucy being herself."

"Then I assume you don't have any complaints if I have to complete my duties here as a professional," he more stated than asked.

"This is what we get for saving a marine," Zoro said. Lucy and Usopp got up, now back to their strength. Lucy looked to Smoker.

"I'm guessing you want a fight," Lucy said, getting into stance. There was a slight silence as marines began to come.

"Go," Smoker said, and Lucy's eyes read surprise and suspicion.

"Only this one time will I let you get away," Smoker said. "The next time, you're a dead woman, got that, Mugiwara Lucy?"

"THERE THEY ARE! THE MUGIWARA CREW!" the marines shouted as they came. All of them, except for Lucy, began running. Zoro looked over to see Lucy wasn't following.

"What're you doing, Lucy? Hurry!" Zoro said.

"Right," Lucy said. She turned to Smoker and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at her in surprise.

"The hell are you doing?" he demanded.

"Kaa-chan always said that if you wanted to thank someone, give them a kiss," Lucy said. With that, she ran and joined with her crew. Smoker touched his cheek where Lucy's lips were, and was surprised to find his cheek was warm. Was he...blushing? WHATTHEHELLWASWRONGWITHHIM?

_ANYWAYS..._

"Hey! Don't tell me we're supposed to run all the way to Alubarna from here!" Usopp complained.

"Eyelash!" Nami exclaimed. "Where did Eyelash go?"

"There's a stable here, right?" Lucy asked. "Let's get some horses!"

"But the marines..." Vivi said.

"It's okay; look up ahead," Sanji said.

"AH! There they are!" Chopper yelled, Eyelash next to him, both on top of a crab. A big one. "HI GUYS!"

"A CRAB?" Usopp yelled.

"Chopper!" Nami exclaimed.

"That's a 'moving crab'," Vivi said in awe.

"Get on!" Chopper said.

"I get to ride that?" Lucy said. "Awesome!"

"I don't believe it!" Sanji said.

"Wait, doesn't his face look a little...shady?" Nami asked.

"He's one of Eyelash's friends!" Chopper said. "Eyelash was born in this town, so he has lots of friends!"

"Wow! Moving crabs are all under the sand, so some people don't think they exist," Vivi said.

"It's pretty fast, right?" Zoro asked.

"Okay, here we go!" Chopper said. "Depart!" With that, they began moving, but sand around them formed into an all too familiar hook that whipped around Vivi and dragged her off the crab.

"Vivi!" Nami yelled.

"Stop, Chopper!" Zoro commanded.

"Vivi!" Lucy yelled. "It's him!" Lucy grabbed Vivi off from the hook, but the hook got her now.

"Lucy-san!" Vivi yelled.

"You guys go ahead; I'll be fine!" Lucy said. With that, they were separated.

_'Time to put you in your place, Crocodile.'_

~.~

**And that's that. CHAPTER 50 PEOPLE. I never thought this story would actually get so far. That crab's so ahead of his time, trying to make the troll face popular back then. Tsk tsk. Remember, R&R! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Zackykinz 13**_

_**angelvan105**_

_**IndigoButterfly**_

_**elric**_

_**TheBlackSeaReaper**_

_**ComicGeek**_

_"Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge."_

_-Scott Adams_


	51. The OneSided Lucy VS Crocodile!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello again, viewers! Here's chapter 51!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:**

_**Pen-Woman**_**: Always have to add a surprise or two! x3**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_**: Yay! :D**

_**IndigoButterfly**_**: You never know; one day I may start a SmokerXFemLuffy...somehow XD Yeah, probably not any time soon. And yeah, Lucy's too dense for her own good... TT_TT But that's what makes it fun! ^_^**

_**elric**_**: Maybe, maybe XD That would be a big FAIL if he does, though :)**

_**livenanakitty**_**: Been there, done that -.-" A whole month. Don't worry though, I don't plan on doing that ever again! And thank you C:**

_**inudbzgirl**_**: He's got a case of...LOVE FEVER. Haha, jk. x] And yes, she will. Just not in this chapter. :(**

**_Chapter 51: The One-Sided Battle of Lucy and Crocodile!_**

"Make sure you get Vivi to the palace!" Lucy yelled. She sent them a grin.

"Idiot," Zoro muttered. "Head straight to Alubarna, Chopper!"

"Got it!" he replied.

"What? We're just going to leave her, Zoro?" Usopp exclaimed.

"Lucy-san!" Vivi yelled.

"She'll be okay, Vivi!" Nami said. "I feel more sorry for them! There isn't a single person who's tested Lucy like so and gotten away safely!"

"Understand, Vivi?" Zoro asked. "Lucy will defeat Crocodile."

~.~

Lucy heard Vivi yell that they'd be waiting for her in Alubarna, and Lucy replied with an 'Okay!'. As Lucy fell to the sandy ground, she watched as her nakama slowly disappeared into the horizon displayed to her. Crocodile laughed.

"The princess just ran out on us," he stated. "Anyways, the agents in Alubarna should be done with their..._duties_, as you might call them. I think your games have gone on a bit too long, Miss Good Friday." Lucy sat in the sand, comfortable.

"Well, you know her. She's weak, but she tries to save everything she can," Lucy said. Crocodile let out a 'huh?'. Lucy continued.

"She can't bear to abandon anything, so she's always in pain. She wants the rebellion to end without anyone dying," Lucy said, her hand on her hat.

"Without anyone dying?" Crocodile questioned. "There many weak, mushy fools like that; they do not know know true battle. You agree with me, don't you?"

"Yes," Lucy said, looking him in the eye. She stood up, shedding her cloak and setting her water from Yuba with it.

"But as long as you're alive, she_ will_ fight you to her grave," Lucy said. "This fight is for Vivi's sake, and so Samuel can finally rest in peace!" Crocodile laughed as if it was the funniest joke he'd heard in his life.

"Absolutely ridiculous. You're beyond saving," Crocodile stated. "If you conspire with others or simply seek revenge, you'll just wind up dead. I've left hundreds like that in the dust..."

"Well then," Lucy said, cracking her knuckles. "I guess that just makes you pretty stupid!" Crocodile gave a look of surprise, and Miss All Sunday who was standing next to him let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Crocodile asked. "Do you want to die as well, Nico Robin?"

"If that's how you feel about it, do as you wish," Robin said, walking away. "And what happened to your promise not to call me that name?"

"Where are you going?" Crocodile questioned.

"Ahead to Alubarna," Robin answered. With that, she was soon out of sight.

"Crazy woman," Crocodile muttered. He threw something that fell next to Lucy. Lucy looked at it. An...hourglass?

"I'll give you three minutes," Crocodile said. "After that, I won't have the time to play with you anymore. Any problems?"

"Nope," Lucy said, getting into stance. "Fine with me. Rubber Pistol!" She launched her attack at Crocodile, who simply dodged, andn turned to sand. His sand moved about and reformed next to Lucy, his hook too close to her neck for her liking. He swung it at her, who narrowly dodged.

"Rubber Stamp!" she yelled, but he just turned to sand again. She fell to the ground, but was not hesitant in getting back up.

"Let me tell you something, Miss Good Friday," Crocodile said. "No matter how much you struggle, you will never, ever-"

"Rubber Gatling!" Lucy yelled, and Crocodile turned to sand again. The battle continued: Lucy launching attacks at Crocodile and trying to figure out just what weakness he has. Of course, he just continued to turn to sand.

"Why don't we end the games now, Miss Good Friday?" Crocodile suggested.

"I've been fighting seriously!" Lucy said, still in stance. _'If only I could just figure out his weakness...!'_

"You and I are two pirates in completely different leagues!" Crocodile exclaimed.

"Desert Spada!" Crocodile exclaimed, launching sand at Lucy. Lucy's eyes widened and she quickly dodged it.

"Well spotted...you wouldn't just be saying 'ouch' if that hit you..." Crocodile said. Lucy looked down on the aftermath of his attack with shock.

"The whole desert cut in half!" she exclaimed.

"Depending on how you use and train them, Devil Fruit powers can be very useful in battle," Crocodile said. "However, I'm not one of those fools who are content on just having this power. I've honed it to perfection. You'll wish you never stood to oppose me...! Desert Girasole!" When he said his attack name, the sand began to cave and begin to bring down whatever dwelled in it. Unfortunately, Lucy was in the middle of the sinking sand around her, and as she tried to climb up, she found it difficult to move about do to the sand pit's strong sucking force.

"Never heard of 'quicksand'? It makes a perfect coffin; no grave necessary," Crocodile said. "The sand is being dragged into an underground river. I can detect that with my powers...! There's no living being that can stand toe-to-toe with me in a desert.

"I refuse to be buried alive!" Lucy yelled. "Rubber Bazooka!" she yelled as she used it on the sand, boosting her up to the air.

"If I can't punch you, I'll capture you!" Lucy exclaimed. "Rubber Net!" Of course, he turned to sand.

"Can't you take a hint? It's impossible-"

"Rubber Whip!" she yelled, launching another attack. Crocodile used his sand power to basically cut himself in half.

"The same old thing again?" Crocodile questioned. "Barchan!" He used his sand power to grab Lucy's arm with the sand. Crocodile used the sand to dry her arm before throwing her back to the sand.

"My arm...!" she said. "My...my arm!"

"Because it's 'sand'...I sucked the water from your arm," Crocodile explained. "Maybe I should kill you by sucking all of the water from your body. Give you a little taste of the desert..."

.

.

.

"That's it!" Lucy said, racing to her pile, retrieving her water and drinking it. Her arm quickly returned to normal.

"Ridiculous," Crocodile said.

"Is not!" Lucy fumed. "Suna-Ossan in Yuba spent all night digging up this water! Yuba will never be defeated by mere sand! Rubber..."

"You're still trying?" Crocodile asked, starting to get annoyed.

"...Chomp!" Lucy said, trying to stuff all of the sand into her mouth.

"ENOUGH BULLSHIT!" Crocodile said, fleeing from Lucy's mouth. "Die with the hardy soil of Yuba! Your three minutes are up! Didn't I tell you I don't have time to play with you? Sables!" As he said that, he started a sandstorm with the tips of his fingers.

"The sand is nice and dry today," Crocodile noted with a smirk.

~.~

"What's wrong, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked. Vivi looked out in the direction Lucy and Crocodile were.

"There's a sandstorm above Rainbase...!" Vivi said. "It's him...!"

~.~

"Listen, Miss Good Friday...the prevailing winds here always blow north to south," Crocodile said. "If a sandstorm spawns here, goes south and matures, where do you think it'll hit when it's nice and big?"

"To the south...?" Lucy questioned. That was when it hit her, but Crocodile spoke before she could open her mouth.

"To Yuba," he said simply.

"Why...?" she uttered. She grabbed him by the collar. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Cut it out!"

"Look, the south wind is rising...!" he taunted.

"Suna-Ossan has nothing to do with you! Teme...stop!" she yelled. She tried entering the sandstorm. "Stop! Damn you! Stop!" Crocodile merely laughed.

"Give it up...once the storm gets speed, even I won't be able to stop it," Crocodile said. Lucy stood right in front of him and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Cut it out! Stop this! Right...n...!" Lucy was interrupted by being stabbed with Crocodile's hook.

"Just who do you think I am?" Crocodile asked with his widened smirk and reptile eyes.

"There are plenty of rookies who're all talk," he said. "Just like you, Lucy. How you and Samuel progressed so far in Baroque Works is still a mystery to me. However, you're now old enough, Lucy, to understand and grasp how the 'Grand Line' works." Lucy didn't respond as she listened to her blood silently drip from her and the hook onto the sandy ground.

~.~

**Yeah, short chapter, I know. I'll make the next chapter longer. Remember, R&R, and you'll become part of the reviewing family! :3 Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

_**Pen-Woman**_

_**Sparkle9510**_

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_"All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand."_

_-Ella Wheeler Wilcox_


	52. Mugiwara Crew VS Baroque Works Agents!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 52!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

_**Chapter 52: Splitting Up! Mugiwara Crew VS Baroque Works Agents!**_

Zoro felt as if just sitting during their ride to Alubarna would bring nothing, so he used his one of his katana to lift "Eyelash" as a weight. It was better than what Usopp was doing with this free time, who was feeding his false adventures to Chopper, who was too gullible to not believe them.

"Zoro, you're only wasting energy," Nami nagged.

"Shut up!" he said, lifting more quickly.

"Just let them be, Nami-san," Sanji said. "They need something to occupy their minds. They're unskilled...especially that muscle-head. He's feeling his weakness compared to the Seven Warlords...!"

"What are you trying to say?" Zoro asked through clenched teeth. "Out with it."

"All right, I'll tell you," Sanji said, removing his cigarette from his mouth. "You're afraid that Lucy might of lost."

"Me? Afraid?" he questioned. "You 'Magic Eyebrow'!"

"Oh, now I'm pissed, you 'Marimo Head'!" Sanji retorted.

"WHAT?" Zoro yelled. "You wanna fi-"

"STOP BICKERING!" Nami yelled, hitting them both upside the head.

"It's okay, everybody! Lucy-san won't lose!" Vivi reassured. "She promised! We just have to wait for her in Alubarna!"

"You were the most worried about him!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Why don't you worry about the uprising?" Nami said, knocking on her forehead. Vivi squeaked out an 'ow'.

"Sorry, Vivi-chan," Sanji muttered.

"It's the end for me if you get the last word in..." Zoro murmured.

"Okay then, straight to Alubarna!" Nami yelled cheerfully. "Let's go, 'Scissors'!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's the crab's name."

"Scissors...?"

~.~

"Yuba will die," Crocodile said, his hook stabbed inside Lucy. "This sandstorm will finish it. It will light the flames of the rebellion's anger once again. The strong love everyone has for their country will only destroy it. The same goes for you, Miss Good Friday. You would have lived longer, had you not succumbed to your weaker emotions...!" That was when he noticed that she had previously poured water on him without him noticing.

"Water..." he muttered. "Even water will not save you now." That was when she grabbed his wrist; however, his wrist didn't turn to sand. She figured out his weakness. She would have smirked, had she not had a hook completely embedded in her torso.

"Hn?" Crocodile questioned. That 'hn' soon turned into a scream as Lucy twisted his arm with extreme force.

"You're still...alive?" he asked, and threw her back to the sand. She winced as blood flowed from her mouth.

"You must be in a lot of pain...!" Crocodile said. "But don't worry. It'll all end soon..." he ended with a laugh. Lucy struggled to find her breath. This wasn't good, she was covered in blood-who knows how much she lost by now. She felt herself being pulled into the quicksand. She tried holding her arm out to grab on something-anything-that would help her. Alas, she found herself becoming more and more weak from blood loss. She was soon consumed by the mass quicksand.

"What a waste of time," Crocodile said. "Too bad, I'll have to inform Atsuke that I killed his tool on accident." With that, he left. What he didn't know was that a specific girl was able to poke her head out of the now regular sand she was buried in. She struggled to get out when she felt arms spawn from her and lift her from the sand. She tried to put on a small smile when she knew who it was.

"Robin...!" Lucy struggled to say.

"Don't struggle to talk, Lucy-san," Robin said. A hand spawned next to Lucy's fallen straw hat and threw it to Robin, who caught it with ease, which she then placed next to Lucy. She was planning to help Lucy, but that was when she heard a familiar voice.

"What happened to Vivi-sama...?" she heard the bird man say from behind her, limping severely.

"Oh, you're awake," Robin said.

"Now that I understand the nature of your powers, I will not be taken down as easily as before...!" he said.

"Oh, stop it. Don't get yourself even more injured than you already are..." Robin said. She couldn't help Lucy now-not when someone might mistake if they're friend or foe.

"Perfect timing. Why don't you save that girl?" Robin asked, walking away. "She's the brave and gallant hero...who brought your precious princess here." A creature came suddenly as Robin climbed onto it with ease.

"And besides, the princess is fine, and she's heading toward Alubarna at this moment," Robin said. "I don't know what'll happen from now on...but you know the state this country is in..." With that, she left the two behind, and Pell looked at Lucy.

"MEAT."

~.~

"WHAT? THIS CRAB CAN'T WALK ON WATER?" Usopp exclaimed.

"'Moving crabs' are creatures of the sand!" Vivi defended. "They can't stand water!"

"But it's a crab!" Usopp protested. "I mean, come on!" That was when everyone started spurring a huge argument on what they were going to do, when Chopper spoke up.

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "'Scissors' loves dancers!"

"Like this?" Nami asked, swaying her hips.

"He's looking over here," Chopper said with a sweat-drop. As Scissors, along with two others...*coughSanjiandEyelashcough*...Scissors ran with lightning speed.

"Warp speed!"

"You broke two extra animals."

"Eru-Power~!"

"It's a miracle! He's running atop the water!"

That was when Scissors began falling into the water.

"No! That was just your imagination!"

"Gyaah!"

They all immersed from the water.

"Quit complaining and keep moving!" Zoro said, Chopper atop his head.

"Wait a minute!" Usopp exclaimed. "We don't have a boat! How far is is to the other side?"

"Fifty kilometers," Vivi responded.

"We can't swim that!" Usopp barked. That was when a fish appeared by them.

"A 'Sandora Rarecat Fish'! Named because they're extremely rare!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Who cares about that?"

"They also love to eat humans!"

"YOU COULD'VE MENTIONED THAT EARLIER!"

That was when they heard a large 'THUNK' and looked back from their feverish swimming to see a familiar creatures.

_**KUOOOOOOOO**_

"Kung Fu Dugongs!" they exclaimed. They climbed onto the large fish as the Dugongs dragged the fish along the water.

"They said 'We can't let our fellow students perish,'" Chopper said.

"But, uh, it's not like we're students of Lucy, anyway," Sanji said.

"At least we're alive!" Usopp exclaimed.

And, saved by the animals of the kingdom, they managed to cross Sandora River and reach the shore of Alubarna. Three hours remained.

"Thanks!" Vivi waved as the Dugongs returned to the water.

"We're doing good," Zoro said. "Think we can make it in time?"

"I don't know...even with Eyelash here, it will be tough," Vivi responded.

"But he can only carry two people," Usopp said. "And from here on Baroque Works are going to try to trap us!"

"Isn't there a way to travel as an entire group?" Nami questioned. That was when they saw a familiar duck, along with other ducks, run up to them.

"Galu!" Vivi exclaimed. "And the 'Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad'! You came for us?"

_Two Hours Later..._

The Mugiwaras had devised a plan. If they all ride a duck from the squad and wear the same cloak, they wouldn't know which person was Vivi, even though she wouldn't be there at all. As they rode, they could see the frustrated faces of the co-workers. That was when Zoro heard the ticking of whatever the fat one of the group shot with his bazooka.

"Stay away from it!" he ordered, and they got away from it right before it went off. Everyone then broke up and went to separate places outside the gates, and sure enough, the numbered agents followed all of them. In the end, Zoro and Nami had gone together and got Mister One (considering he had a big ONE written on him) and his partner.

"Alright Zoro, beat him up!" Nami cheered. The two ducks they rode one quacked in agreement.

"Shut up back there!" Zoro yelled.

_Some Time Later..._

"That idiot! Which way did she go?" Zoro asked himself, looking around. "Didn't I tell her to hide there? That girl is only good at running and getting in my way!" He turned to the two ducks. "You guys try to find her, too." That was when he heard a scream.

"On the other side?" he asked. "Finally found her. I will use a shortcut." ...Knowing the Zoro we all know and love, we all know this doesn't exactly bode well...

~.~

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few days, I've been put under a lot of mental stress lately, and typing has been on one of the last things on my mind. I just feel as if my family is slowly falling apart, piece by piece. Hearing my family yell at one another while I can't do anything to soothe the situation is starting to take its toll on me. I'll try to update sooner. Remember to R&R. Peace out, viewers.**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_elric_**

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**_TheBlackSeaReaper_**

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_**YunaKnightwriter97**_

_"The question isn't who is going to let me; it is who is going to stop me."_

_-Ayn Rand_


	53. Zoro VS Mister One!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 53!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

_**Chapter 53: Zoro VS Mister One!**_

Zoro quickly blocked Mister One's attack at Nami.

"Zoro!" Nami exclaimed. Zoro looked up and saw the stone pillar split into huge gaps in itself.

"Whoa! The stone pillar si plit vertically!" Nami exclaimed.

"Split...? Nope..." Zoro said. "That was apparently the work of a _sword_."

"Damn you," Mister One said. Zoro swung his katana at him, and he merely blocked with his arm.

"Eh?" Nami questioned. "Your arm is not cut?"

"So you don't have a normal body, either," Zoro said, inspecting One's arm to see it turned into a sword.

"I ate the Supa Fruit," he said. "My entire body became all blades. So it's you: the man who took out a hundred men at Whiskey Peak." Zoro raised his brow. Why weren't they giving Lucy credit, too? Whatever, he had to focus on his battle at the moment.

"And a couple years ago in the East Blue," the woman started. "After declining an invitation to the B.W. Company by Mister Seven, you killed him, or should I say the 'Pirate Hunter' killed him."

"So it is you," Mister One said.

"Ha, how nostalgic," Zoro said with a smirk. "But it's all your fault cuz you didn't agree to my conditions. The condition I put in at the time was I'd join you if you let me be boss." The woman chucked.

"This guy is funny," she said.

"And he not only disagreed, but he came at me, so I had to kill him," Zoro said. He smirked again. "You guys wanna invite me, too? Everything would just be easier if your boss just quits." Then, Zoro launched an attack at Mister One, who blocked it with his arms.

""Don't underestimate me," One said. "You're just a simple pirate hunter."

"And you are?" he asked. "Idle dolls who have no self-conciousness, who are being controlled and work for a _'dream world'_?" Or an empty group of men without power?" Mister One turned to the woman.

"Miss Doublefinger," he said.

"'I'll finish this guy.' Is that what you were going to say?" she asked. She began walking away. "Sure, have it your way. As for me, I'm off to finish the little girl."

"Damn, Nami!" he turned to where Nami was before. He sweat-dropped. "Gone..." Mister One got into a stance and Zoro bit his lip. They began their battle. They both launched attacks, only for the other to block it. Zoro put Wado in his mouth.

"Three Swords Style..."

"Assassin!" One said, getting into a stance.

"Bull Horns!" Zoro yelled, attacking, only for it to be futile. He took Wado out of his mouth, his back facing One.

"So your body is as hard as a blade," he noted. "So if I can't cut metal, I can't hurt you."

"That's right," he said. "Attacks including hitting and slashes can't hurt me. Zoro crossed his arms and turned to him.

"So as long as I can't cut metal, I can't beat you right now," Zoro said. He took off his cloak.

"Hm? So what're you going to do now?" One asked.

"Ah...I pity you," Zoro simply said. "I am in a dangerous situation. Danger can force a swordsman to become stronger!" He crossed his katanas so they formed an 'X'.

"When I've beaten you, I'll be able to cut through metal!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Sorry to ruin your mood, but ever since I've gained the Supa powers, not even one swordsman has been able to hurt a hair of mine," Mister One said. "You cannot beat me, swordsman!"

"Oh? I understand, but I was just giving you some advice to remember such things," Zoro said. "I don't know what kind of swordsmen you fought before me, but that may change soon because I'm sure we've never met before!"

"I see, you only have a big mouth!" One said, charging at him.

"Thanks for the compliment, baldy," Zoro said with a smirk, blocking One's blade-leg with his two katana.

"I wonder how long you'll last," Mister One said.

"How about you?" Zoro replied. Suddenly One brought down his leg and changed his fingers to blades.

"Hand Claw Slash!" he yelled. Zoro quickly blocked it by reflex. They continued to battle. Soon Zoro distanced himself from One.

"Demon Slash!" he yelled, launching his attack at One, sending him in the air. Zoro quickly prepared for his next attack.

"Tiger Hunt!" he yelled, sending him crashing to the ground. Zoro watched the smoke lift to reveal a standing Mister One.

"What did I tell you earlier?" he asked.

"Ha, there's not even a scratch on him," he said to himself. "I haven't met anyone who took my attacks and still be standing."

"Of course, because up to now, you have never met me," One said. With that, he launched at Zoro, and they continued sparring.

_'This guy can make a blade anywhere on him, a body of blades!'_ Zoro thought. He quickly gained space between them by rolling away.

"Exploding Daisy Slash!" One yelled, positioning his hands to resembled a daisy and launching at Zoro, who quickly blocked it with his swords. The building behind Zoro cut cleanly into six pieces.

_'This...This guy...'_

"Fly away," One said simply, causing Zoro to go flying into the building, which caused the building to collapse on him.

_'I will have to train myself more...that was too close to death...what am I lacking?'_ Zoro thought. He remembered something his sensei taught.

"Hm...hurry up and slash me," Mister One said. "I'm just standing here and haven't seen you hurt me yet.

"Underestimating me?" Zoro asked with clenched teeth, still under the rubble of the fallen building. "Now I shall show you the look of me slashing through metal!" With that, he picked up a piece of the building that was about a sixth from the original building, not seeming to break a sweat.

"When I can slash through metal, it will also mean your death!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Is that so?" One asked with a straight face. Zoro threw the large building remain at Mister One.

"No matter what comes toward me, I will simply destroy it!" One exclaimed.

_'Starting with the blade that cannot cut anything, eh...!'_ Zoro thought, thinking of his sensei's lesson to him._ 'A sword that cannot cut, yet can cut through metal! I don't understand what the meaning of this is!'_

"Stupid tricks," One said.

"All of that doesn't matter, the harder it is, the stronger the swordsman will become in the end!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Disintegrating Slash!" One yelled, chopping the building into neat stone blocks.

"I will be the first to cut you in half!" Zoro yelled, running up to him as they continued battling. Zoro bit his katana hard and thwacked him, causing him to lose balance and fall back. One soon rebalanced himself, but Zoro didn't give him any extra time, readying his next attack.

"Crab Slasher!" Zoro yelled, causing One to fall back again. Zoro caught his breath.

"You're a little tough..." Zoro said.

"Same to you," Mister One responded. He got back onto his feet and showed more blades on his arm.

"I'm no ordinary swordsman," One said. "I have tons of techniques to split you in two. Spiraling Blade!" With that, his blades on his arms began to spin with lightning speed.

"You can't be a swordsman; you're nothing but a miner!" he yelled, charging.

"I'm an assassin," he said and their blades hit at each other, and One's blades were spinning so fast on Zoro's katana that sparks began to fall.

_'Sparks? Damn, how fast are those things rotating?'_ Zoro thought.

"I'm not just some dumb miner," he said. "I'll cut through you as proof." With that, he put his high-speed blades on Zoro's chest, and they rotated so fast that blood splattered once the blade touched his skin. Soon One shoved the whole blade in him. Blood splashed everywhere as his katana were released from his hands and mouth.

"The wrong decision will result in death!" One exclaimed. Once One was through with him, he threw him to the stone pillar and began to lick the blood from his hands. Zoro breathed heavily.

"Hm? You're still alive?" Mister One questioned.

_'Cannot show an enemy weakness!'_ Zoro thought, trying to get up. He managed to get off from laying on his stomach and sit up against the pillar.

"You have no weapons; what will you do now?" One asked. "Disintegrating Splitting Slash!" He cut the pillar into multiple pieces, not to mention he just cut Zoro even more, making even more blood spurt out. He turned to leave.

"Just die now," he said. Zoro looked up, blood running down his mouth and blood running down his torso from his wound. He noticed the stone above it was about to fall on him.

_'Today I've had little luck with rocks,'_ he thought. With that, the stone pillar collapsed on him entirely, or what seemed so. One thought he heard the sound of slight shifting of stone and feet pattering, and when he turned around, he saw Zoro, completely covered in his blood, but nonetheless standing with a somewhat lean that made him seem a bit too casual for his situation.

"Impossible...even after that, he's still standing..." he said to himself. "How did you evade all of the rocks?"

_'Evade all of them...no...'_ Zoro thought. _'It's because I knew they wouldn't land on me. My katana...it's under that rock. I know it!' _With that, Zoro lifted up the rock to his left and picked up his katana. _'I've had this feeling before, too. Everything is quiet...except my heartbeat that's so loud. I'm near death's border. The falling rocks had a sense of life to them...not life, I would call it...breathing...the breathe of those rocks...the trees, they are breathing as well...even the land is...is this the meaning? Not being able to cut through...is to understand the meaning of breathing? Is this the power to cut through metal?'_

"What's going on?" One yelled. "After receiving so many attacks and losing so much blood, how could you still be alive?"

_'I can hear it: his metal's breathing,' _Zoro thought.

"The next move is going to finish you off for good!" One exclaimed. Zoro tapped his katana on the leaf of the tree near him, and it only swayed from the katana's touch.

"Transfer my thoughts through my sword," Zoro said. With that, he tapped the rock beside him, and it split cleanly.

_'Now to see if I have truly gained the power to cut through metal!' _Zoro thought, pointing his katana at Mister One.

"Using only one katana to try and block my move?" One questioned.

"Enough," Zoro said. "I won't wait for death."

"So you're giving up, eh?" One asked, creating blades at his feet. "Disintegrating Speed Slash!" he yelled, speeding at Zoro with his bladed feet.'

"Single Sword Style: Lion Requiem!" With that, they shot their attacks at each other. There was a slight pause, Zoro standing and One falling to the ground.

"I give my thanks to you," Zoro said. _'Now I'm even stronger.'_

~.~

**Hi guys, so here's the next chapter. :) As told in the last chapter, I've been having family issues recently that have been getting worse recently, and I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed and supported me, so thank you. I'm glad to know that you guys are supporting me, and I've decided that I'll try to stay positive through this whole situation. So thanks again. Remember to R&R! Peace out viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_TheBlackSeaReaper_  
><strong>

**_IndigoButterfly_**

**_angelvan105_**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**_nwyd_**

**_elric_**

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**_Crazy4Reading_**

_**ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka**_

_**YunaKnightwriter97**_

_"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection."_

_-Thomas Paine_


	54. Lucy Returns!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! Here's chapter 54!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 54: Lucy Returns!_  
><strong>

"Haha..." Mister One laughed. "Next time, are you going to cut through diamonds?"

"I don't know yet," Zoro said.

"...ha...I accept my defeat," One said.

"Haha, damn, I'm bleeding to much," Zoro said. His forehead hit the ground. "Although the woulds aren't too deep, it still hurts..." The rest of his body collapsed.

_'I wonder how the others are doing,' _Zoro thought. _'Nami should have escaped safely. Hopefully no one died...I really want to know...'_

_~.~_

"So he meant you can only use it once because of this..." Nami said, inspecting her Clima Tact. She looked down the path.

"The waves of the uprising will soon reach here," she stated. She began walking down it. "Although the situation has changed, I need to get to the palace and see." That was when she felt a tug on her skirt. She looked down to see Miss Doublefinger there, as if just on the brink of unconsciousness. Nami looked at her with shock and horror at the fact that she might attack her again. Instead, she just looked at her.

"I won't...attack you...I already lost..." Miss Doublefinger managed to say. "But please...if Lucy is alive, apologize to her for me...back when she was a Baroque Works agent, we were good acquaintances...if not, closer. Please, I don't want to live with this regret of what I've done to her."

"Y-Yeah..." Nami said.

"Go," Doublefinger said simply, and Nami ran to catch up with the others.

~.~

"You cannot save this country!" Crocodile yelled as he dropped Vivi from his grip over her neck on the edge of the palace courtyard, causing her to fall several stories. Luckily, Pell swooped in just in time, with Lucy on his back, and caught her.

"Whew, I caught up," Lucy said.

"Lucy! Pell!" Vivi exclaimed. Tears rushed down her cheeks as she spoke. "The palace is going to be bombed. There isn't any time left. Everyone is going to die, and they can't hear my voice! If this continues, the country will...!"

"Don't worry," Lucy said with a grin. "You're voice, we all heard it!" With that, Pell dropped Vivi off in front of the walls, on the sand. He then went to drop Lucy up at a higher story.

"Lucy, be careful," Pell warned as they landed.

"I will not lose," Lucy said with a smirk. She looked up to see Crocodile looking down at her from the edge of the courtyard.

"Weren't your wounds mortal? How're you alive?" Crocodile questioned. The end of his cigar burnt off and landed on Lucy. Soon the rest of the Mugiwara crew caught up with them, and they all reacted their own way to seeing Lucy alive, despite their opponents telling them she was dead.

"Sorry for losing to that guy once," Lucy said, not looking at them. "So this time I can't lose."

"Of course," Zoro said.

"IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM, WHO CAN?" Usopp questioned. Nami simply smiled, Chopper wore a childish grin, and Vivi gave her a worried glance. She stretched her arms to the story where Crocodile was. She looked at her crew, her eyes shining with determination and confidence.

"I'll finish it now...all of it!" she exclaimed.

"Alright!" the Mugiwaras exclaimed, all wearing a grin and a few of them reacting quite crazy(Usopp and Chopper). Vivi wiped her tears while Pell just gave Lucy a proud smile. With that, Lucy used her elastic powers to shoot herself into the air to reach the top to where Crocodile was.

"No matter how many times you try, you guys still can't hit me," Crocodile said. "So you want to be impaled again, eh?" He began to turn himself into sand when Lucy reached the top and punched him in the face. It felt as if time had slowed itself as Crocodile flew back, and blood was shed from him.

"Rubber...!" Lucy yelled, stretching her arms.

"Who is that?" the king, who was bound to the wall, asked. No one paid attention to his question.

"Girl...!" Crocodile said through his clenched teeth. Lucy's arms reached Crocodile as Lucy grabbed him. She began to spin herself.

"...Buzz-Saw!" Lucy yelled, spinning and hurling herself at Crocodile at the same time, causing an impact that caused blood to spur from his mouth as he hit the ground. With that, Lucy flipped back, creating space between the two, before her feet hit the ground. She let out a giggle, a smirk evident on her face. There was a light 'tap' noise as Lucy's sandals hit the ground once more. The king looked at Crocodile in shock. Robin let out a small chuckle, left unnoticed by her bystanders. Soon Lucy replaced her smirk with a serious expression as she looked at Crocodile.

"Stand up!" she exclaimed. The rhythmic ticking of the large clock tower taunted Lucy, reminding her how every second an innocent life caught in a fake civil war might be ending. Crocodile chuckled.

"At the moment I lost..." Lucy said, squirting water on her from the barrel hanging on her back. "The water from Yuba made me notice that if you touch water, you can't turn into sand! That's why you hate the rain! You're scared of it! As long as I'm using this to beat you, the show is just beginning!" Crocodile sat up and laughed.

"You! You want to defeat me?" he said with a smirk, his arrogant personality showing as always.

"Duh," Lucy retorted.

"Even while under such danger, you could still see through my trick," Crocodile said. "Which I expect no less from a former agent of mine, but you're still young. So, you think that's all there is to it. But you're wrong...you know I am one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"Huh? One of the Seven Warlords?" Lucy questioned. "So what? Then I'll be the eighth Warlord!" Silence loomed over the courtyard.

"That girl is..." the king said.

"She's a pirate as well...haven't you heard?" Robin responded. "So the princess gets to live a little longer..."

"So it's her..." the king muttered. "She's the one who brought Vivi back here..."

"Hmm..." Robin murmured.

"Rubber Bullet!" Lucy exclaimed, aiming for Crocodile's face.

"This kind of attack is easy to evade," Crocodile said, leaning to his right. He put his hand on Lucy's stretched arm that had past him.

"Is your hand wet right now?" he asked. Lucy's expression became alarmed.

"Don't forget that my hand can absorb water too..." he said. "It's over!"

"Almost forgot he had that ability...!" Lucy muttered. When his hand turned to sand, she immediately retreated her arm.

"In the earlier fight you said by using your Devil Fruit in different ways, you can become stronger...!" Lucy said, squirting water on her. "Rubber Bullet!" With that, she launched the attack. However, she quickly changed it by using her thumb to drag her arm down. Since she was elastic, when she removed her thumb, her arm bounced back up then down and back up and so on, causing it to seem like there were multiple fists. Crocodile managed to dodge all of them, illusion and real alike, and ready his next attack.

"Sneaky girl..." he said. "Desert Blade!"

"That move again?" she asked. She immediately ran to the side as he split the ground at where she once stood.

"Phew, that was dangerous..." she said, hearing the small crackling from its aftermath. She began charging.

"Rubber...!" she yelled, stretching her arm to Crocodile's face.

"You always use the same technique...how do you expect to win?" Crocodile asked.

"Hmph! But I'm totally confident!" she yelled, her body going to where her stretched arm is, which was in the air in front of Crocodile. She shot her arm at Crocodile once more, sending him to the ground, face first. She grabbed the barrel that was attached to her back. She could hear the water slashing back and forth from the sudden movement.

"I've been planning this from the beginning!" she exclaimed.

"Of course you did..." Crocodile said. "Sandstorm!"

"What?" Lucy muttered in surprise. He attacked her and she and her barrel flew back. She struggled to grab it before landing on the ground gracefully. Crocodile laughed.

"Miss Good Friday, you're really into this fight, eh?" Crocodile asked. "If you lose your water barrel, you're outta tricks, eh? Haha, if that's the case, then how are you different from last time?"

"...You're right," Lucy said, shocking Crocodile. "It wouldn't be any different from the last time. Then how about this?" She drank all of the water and smashed the barrel and looked at Crocodile with a dead serious look. "If it's like this, I'm different from last time!"

"You're not serious..." Crocodile said, looking at Lucy as if she had two heads. Oddly, her figure didn't seem to get any larger. Her body could strangely hold all of the water in without hurting her figure in the least. If anything, it made her figure better, if possible.

"Water Lucy!" she exclaimed.

"You damn kid!" Crocodile exclaimed. "What the hell are you joking around for!" Lucy just looked at him. She sent water back up her throat, and used that water to shoot a water bubble at Crocodile.

"Who's kidding?" Lucy questioned, stretching her arms behind her.

"Rubber...Rocket Punch!" she yelled, slamming her hands with lightning speed into Crocodile's torso. Blood spilled out of his mouth. Lucy gave a small smirk through her serious demeanor. She made sure to make the punch extra strong, for Vivi and Samuel.

~.~

**There's the chapter :) I've been brainstorming some things over for this story, and I was thinking about adding more OCs to the story. When will I add them? Secret ^^ Remember to R&R! Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

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**__**_"In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior."_

_-Francis Bacon_


	55. Blood VS Sand!

**Wolfy-tan: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while viewers! Here's chapter 55!**

**RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 55: Blood VS Sand! What is Naomi's Connection with Lucy?_  
><strong>

Lucy watched as Crocodile crashed into the stone. She wiped water dripping from her mouth.

"How was that, Crocodile?" Lucy questioned, her faint smirk no longer evident in her features.

"I can't believe..." Cobra said. He didn't continue, since Robin pulled the nails from his arms that held him to the wall. He screamed from the pain.

"Right now's not the time just to appreciate it, Cobra-san," Robin said. "You should hurry up and take me to where the 'True History' is written."

"...Why do you want to see that thing?" Cobra panted as he sunk to his knees, not trusting if he could get up just yet. "What're you planning?" Robin kicked him, causing him to cry out in pain.

"It doesn't matter to you; take me to that place," Robin demanded. Lucy and Robin turned to each other. Robin gave her a serious look, but the stare held something else indescribable. She let out a nervous chuckle.

"Your good luck ends here," Robin said. "There's no time left for you."

"Hurry up, Nico Robin, If you don't want to turn dry, too!" Crocodile exclaimed, getting up. "I am frikin' _PISSED_!"

"As you wish," Robin said simply, and left before the courtyard would become

"Miss Good Friday, you listen," Crocodile said. "Every rock on this world will be destroyed...!" Lucy looked down to see he was drying out the grass and turned to him in question.

"How are you...?" Lucy muttered. She looked up.

"The trees, too...!" Lucy glared at him. _'Damn him and his sand powers...!'_

She looked down and saw the ground and saw it itself had dried up. A bead of sweat fell down her temple, invisible to Crocodile's eyes.

"This is...!" she was interrupted by the ground cracking straight to where to where she was standing. The crack created such a wide gap, Lucy's petite body almost fell in, but luckily, her legs separated so each foot was on a different side of the crack.

"The bastard..." Lucy said. She rose water up her throat. "Water Gun!" Crocodile simply held out his hand and the water disappeared as it hit his hand.

"He used his hands to absorb it?" Lucy questioned.

"You think you took away my ability, Water Lucy?" Crocodile said. "Then you're wrong! The power of sand depends solely on the power of arid! You see? My right hand can make anything dry without limit! Even trees, rocks, or _dirt_! And turn everything into sand!" He demonstrated, turning everything around him to sand.

"Even...even the rocks are turning to sand...!" Lucy whispered to herself. She watched as even fallen statues that were turned to sand. Her eyes turned sad.

_'It looks like all the earth died...' _Lucy thought. She suddenly felt her sandals disappear. She looked down in shock. _'My sandals, too!'_ She lifted her foot instinctively at this change.

"Everything touched by my right hand will dry into sand!" Crocodile yelled.

"Eh!" Lucy exclaimed.

"MASS EROSION!" Crocodile yelled, and the sand swirled about with no mercy for Lucy. She held her arms in front of her face and tried to keep her feet secured to the ground, but unfortunately the sand was so loose she only slipped about. That, and the fact that the wind was blowing the sand around wildly, Lucy was eventually at the edge of the courtyard. Lucy eventually slipped off the edge, but, thanks to her great reflexes, she caught onto the edge before falling from a dangerous height that would cause death to the average person. All she did was hang there, trying to think, when sand swirled in front of her and then formed into Crocodile.

"You even let me waste so much strength!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her by her neck. She glared at him and shot water at him, only to miss by a fraction.

"Didn't get hit," Crocodile boasted. He used his power to dry Lucy. She tried to yell, scream, to do anything to protest, but her throat was too dry; her whole body was too dry."

"You lose again, Miss Good Friday!" Crocodile said simply. He smirked.

"This is a good way for you to die," he stated, looking at her immensely dried figure. "In six minutes, this whole area and yard will be bombed." He threw her off the edge, watching her figure helplessly fall, not able to move a centimeter from the lack of moisture in her body.

"Just stay quiet and enjoy the show!" he said. "And _celebrate_ a new sand country and king!" He watched her hit the sandy bottom.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry," he said. He turned his attention from her to his right. He muttered to himself.

"I have to go," Crocodile said. "I think she meant the tomb on the west side." With that, he left, leaving the girl alone. As if by a stroke of luck, those water bubbles she fired previously that had missed Crocodile fell on Lucy, immediately moisturizing her body. She bolted up to a sitting position.

"I thought I'd be dead for sure...!" she said silently to herself. She looked up to see nothing. She waited a few seconds to see his silouhette appear. Nothing. Not a single signal of movement. She narrowed her eyes and looked around.

"Where did he go..." she muttered. To her right, she saw Alabasta.

_'I think he went that way,'_ She thought to herself. Determination set in her eyes, which took an odd form of a glare. _'Don't think I'm letting you go so easily!'_ With that, she sprinted to Alabasta.

~.~

Eraquor eyed the cloaked girl suspiciously as she led her through a dark hallway, only lit dimly by torches along the walls. This mysterious girl had found her and Eracire secretly and said she had information for them that they would be interested in. Eraquor looked to her twin and saw he had similar facial features as her. She inwardly smirked a little. They were twins, afterall. It was only natural for them to think the same and be suspicious of the mysterious stranger.

And she certaintly was mysterious. She wore the hood on her cloak up, which hid her face quite well. The only thing they could make out on her face were cherry red lips. And upon those lips held a smirk. Wait, smirk wasn't the word...a grin. That fit better. Though now her back was faced to the duo, so she couldn't see their stares, though Eraquor wouldn't be surprised if she somehow noticed without having to look. She seemed like one of those keen people who could just sense these things without having to look. Eraquor was so deep in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the girl before them speak.

"We're here," she said. Her voice was soft but clear, getting its point across cleanly. Eraquor and Eracire looked up to see a tall door before them. The strange woman opened the doors to reveal a large, circular table in the middle of the room that appeared to be made of stone. As Eraquor studied the room, she figured that this place was probably on the more ancient side and had been previously used for political meetings and such. Eraquor's dark eyes slowly trailed their way to the woman, who was now standing at the table. Eraquor and Eracire stood across from her at the table.

"Well?" Eracire questioned. "What do you want us for? What's this 'information you brought us? If this is a trap-"

"Silence, brother," Eraquor shushed, leaving Eracire quiet. The girl giggled, immediately making the two snap their attention directly too her.

"A slight sibling quarrel, I see," the girl said. Eraquor glared at the girl for the remark. She guessed Eracire was doing the same. As if noticing this, she straightened.

"Now, now. I was just teasing," she stated.

"Why have you brought us here," Eraquor demanded calmly.

"I told you; I have information for you." Eraquor watched as she slid a rolled up parchment their way. It looked tattered from what Eraquor guessed was from age. Then again she could be wrong. Eraquor gave the girl a questioning glance. The girl tilted her head, as if confused by this action.

"Aren't you going to read it?" she asked. She and Eracire shared a glance before Eraquor unrolled it and read through it. As she read, her eyes widened. When she seemed to of finished reading it, she dropped the paper, hands shaking somewhat violently. The girl remained emotionless from this reaction. In fact, it was as if she had expected it. Eracire, curious, bent down and picked up the parchment, reading through it himself. His reactions were similar, except he didn't drop it like his elder sister.

"H-How did you acquire this information?" Eracire stuttered out. He looked to the cloaked woman.

"Who are you!"

Slowly, too slowly for the Era Twins' liking, she lifted the hood of her cloak to reveal a beauty. She seemed younger than what Eraquor expected; she looked like she was in her mid-late teenage years. She dark raven locks of hair that were held by two ponytails. She had two green highlights in her hair. She also had pale, porcelain skin. But the most striking, and slightly intimidating, about her were her eyes. The center of her eyes were a bright lime green, but as the green got closer to the edge of the iris, it turned into a dark turquoise. Her eyes held slight humor, yet held a seriousness at the same time that was rare to find in someone. But at the same time there was something else in her eyes that completely threw Eraquor off from understanding her.

Guilt.

Eraquor could see guilt flash through her eyes, as if she was having an internal war with herself.

Saying Eraquor was confused was a vast understatement.

The girl held out her right palm. Eraquor looked at it, but she soon realized it wasn't her palm that she wanted them to see, but her wrist. Eraquor gasped and Eracire's eyes widened. On her wrist was an ancient letter. An ancient letter past down in the Noliahart and Darneel families for generations. _'If she has this tattoo, then that means...!'_

"My name is Hunterhart Naomi. Though you can just call me Naomi. I'm sure you recognize this tattoo and my family name.

"Why are you here?" Eraquor asked. "Hunterharts never leave their home island!"

"Ever since the Noliahart massacre, Hunterharts lost their purpose and spread, so now there is no official home island or family power anymore. We're all just roaming nomads, now. All trying to find a new purpose other than protect."

"I get it now," Eracire said. "You said your name is Naomi. Naomi was the name of the Hunterhart who was supposed to be assigned to Lucy, correct?" Naomi nodded.

"I was assigned to Lucy because I had... the best swimming skills from the others, which would prove useful since it would help to protect her if she were to ever fall into water." That was when it clicked for Eraquor.

"So you're providing us this information because you feel as if you were responsible for Lucy's grief," Eraquor concluded. This time Naomi was slower to nod.

"It was my duty as Lucy's future protector, as well as my fellow Hunterharts, to protect the Noliaharts against the Darneels' forces. That is why it is our fault, and I want to make it up to Lucy as much as possible." Naomi paused, as if thinking if she could continue. She began to speak again.

"I'm also planning on joining her crew, as well as my friend, Yvette. I still have a debt to pay Lucy, and Yvette has always been there for me after the Hunterharts all dispersed." Eraquor nodded.

"When do you plan on joining them?" Eraquor asked, already having an idea.

"I'm sure you already know from this map and writings," she said. She pointed to a specific part of the map. Eraquor read it.

"I have a feeling they'll be on Thriller Bark at one point or another. That is where we'll meet them. I expect the same from you, considering the next island. Lucy and her crew will need all the help they can get," Naomi said, dead serious. "I trust you will accompany us on meeting them here?" Eraquor looked to Eracire. He nodded. Eraquor turned back to Naomi.

"We trust you. We will accompany you."

~.~

"Hahaha, you useless trash!" Usopp said with fake cockiness in his voice, holding up a hook with his bandaged hand.

"What the hell are you doing!" Zoro yelled, hitting him in the back of the head, causing Usopp to hold his head, while muttering multiple 'ow's.

"I'm trying to put myself in Crocodile's place!" Usopp exclaimed. "If I were him, where would I put the bomb?"

"Stop doing useless things!" Zoro retorted. "We only got five minutes left!"

~.~

Lucy paused her running when she saw the Bitch. She watched as the Bitch used all her strength to reach for her katana. When she saw Lucy, all she said was "Mugiwara".

"That shitty Crocodile," Lucy said, wasting no time with greetings. "Which way did he go?" The Bitch remained silent, leaving the only thing ringing Lucy's ears was the ticking of the clock tower, reminding her every second counted. Lucy's expression became filled with rage with every tick and tock of the clock.

"Tell me!" she demanded. The Bitch's face turned more sorrowful and less of hate. Lucy was sure she was recalling past events. She threw her katana back on the road. She pointed to Lucy's right.

"To the temple!" she exclaimed.

_'That way, eh?'_ Lucy thought. She began to sprint again. She yelled a "Thanks" back to the Bitch as she ran. She panted heavily, but she didn't slow a bit. Blood burst from her wound from Crocodile's hook, but all she could do was hold it to attempt to fight the pain, but she eventually stumbled and crashed into a wall near the temple.

"Eh?" she muttered. "I can't move! Even after eating all that meat..." She began to stand, the entirety of her body trembling from exhaustion.

"Am I...tired...?" She fell over again, falling into an unconscious state. The bloodied trail she left began to dry.

~.~

Zoro watched as red smoke flew through the sky. That was the cue that they found the location of the cannon.

Time to go.

But why was the palace so far away?

He let the question slide as he ran through the weird plants.

~.~

Lucy's eyes snapped open as she sat up.

_'I fell asleep. Right...I suddenly couldn't move...And now since I fell asleep, I've recovered...'_ She got up quickly and began sprinting again. She paused when she saw a staircase that went underground.

"That hole...looks like Crocodile's." She quickly ran down the stairs in a frenzy. She watched, fully alert, as things began to crash everywhere.

"What's with this temple..." she muttered. "Everything keeps breaking down...!" She stopped her running when she saw Crocodile right in front of her.

"_You_...!" Crocodile said.

"I caught up! Crocodile!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Why are you alive?" Crocodile questioned. "Why do you come back every time I kill you? Well? MUGIWARA!"

"Why is she here?" Cobra muttered.

"Lucy..." Robin muttered, practically unable to speak since she was near-death. Lucy's eyes lingered at Robin's for a second before returning to Crocodile, but her message was clear. _Hold on longer. I'm here; you're dream will still live._ Lucy didn't need telepathy to get the message across. It was all in her eyes, Robin knew. Eyes so expressive it was scary.

"HOW MANY TIMES WILL YOU BE SATISFIED WITH ME KILLING YOU?" Crocodile roared.

"Because you took everything away from me, and haven't returned it yet," Lucy responded.

"I took away? Is it money? Fame? Trust? Life? Rain? I took away many things!" he said with a laugh so tainted.

"You say funny things. How about this country? And peace of mind for Samuel's death for once?" Lucy retorted.

"I will take take this country sooner or later, and I will become the king and rule here," Crocodile said. "As for the vengeance part, that will never happen. I will return neither to you."

"When I came to this country, that girl's kingdom was already gone!" Lucy exclaimed.

_"I will persuade the uprising force, because I don't want anymore bloodshed."_

_"This place used to be a green, lively town."_

_"Please, Vivi, go stop those fools!"_

"If that's true for this country..." she said.

_"In think no one dying is good; what's wrong with that?"_

Lucy's eyes became an extreme mix of sadness, desperation, anger, and pure determination. She charged at him with unbelievable speed.

"SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LAUGH!" she screamed, not caring if her throat would lose its ability to talk.

"You can just come. Without water, you're nothing," Crocodile said. However, she was able to land a kick perfectly on his cocky face. He flew into the ancient wall behind him in less than a second. By now, her sandals were quickly discarded, her blood trickling down her legs to cover her now completely bare feet. Crocodile looked up, and a mixture of a scowl and glare could be easily read on his features.

_"If you guys didn't come here, this would be a peaceful place forever!"_ _"So desperate to show her love for her country. How sweet."_

_"Lucy! No matter what happens, the information is completely vital. No matter what happens to me, you have to continue on with the information we gathered together!" "But...nothing will happen to you, right Samuel?" "...I hope not." "Promise me you'll be okay!" "I don't know if that's a promise I could keep, Lucy."_

"Crocodile!" she exclaimed. She stretched her arms back, and flung her fist right into his face, causing him to hit the wall again.

"You...how could you have...?" he didn't finish when he looked to her fist, which was practically stained with blood. Small drops dripped off of her knuckles and pattered onto the floor.

"You're USING BLOOD?" he questioned. She held up her hand, which was loosely balled into a fist. She cracked her knuckles.

"Blood can stop your sand too, right?" she asked. Her expression seemed to have drastically calmed compared to before. _'Is she bipolar?' _Crocodile thought. He growled, but it soon turned into maniacal laughter. He took his time to stand up.

"From Rainbase, to the palace garden, and now to the underground temple..." he said. "You went to hell twice, but came back to me again. Your stubbornness should have some kind of reward." Lucy tried to take his rambling to her advantage by sending a kick his way, but he was quick to dodge. He unsheathed his golden hook to reveal it was only a cover, and his real hook looked much more...hazardous.

"Seems like you want to finish me off no matter what," Crocodile said, stating the obvious. "Then I'll accept you as a dangerous enemy of mine!"

"What is that?" she asked, staring at the weird hook.

"A poisonous hook!" Crocodile replied with a sly smirk.

"Oh really?" she asked, almost seeming bored and sarcastic.

"You're a pirate, too. A pirate fight always involves life and death..." Crocodile stated. "...So talking is useless. If there's an explosion above, this place will collapse, too." They both got into stance, both knowing what words would fall from his mouth.

"This is the last fight...let's finish it!"

~.~

**...So I know I said I wouldn't take another huge hiatus like I did before. So let me say this: I AM SOOORRRYYY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! ...:'( The internet is weird with our computers, and I don't get to go on the one computer which internet works for the most part. But that wasn't the entire problem. I wanted to incorporate the two new OCs that were going to be introduced into the story in this chapter, but I'm only the creator of one of the OCs. My friend said she wanted to be a character in my story back in May, and that she wanted to make her. So I decided 'I'll make an OC to represent myself, too!'. One problem. We had to discuss what the back stories and draw what they would look like and all that fun crap. And we hardly get to see each other. You can guess how that worked out. So, when we finally got to see each other recently, I immediately brought up this problem. So here we are now. In case you wanted to know, Naomi is my OC and Yvette is my friend's OC. The reason Yvette didn't really show up was because we still haven't finished everything for creating these OCs, and I didn't want to write any dialog for her without my friend giving me input on just what attitude and stuff would be incorporated with her. I hope there won't be more of these problems again. Well, I'll see you soon, viewer! Remember to R&R! Until then, peace out! And to ShikaTachi, I apologize about the 'a' in your name in the thank you. I don't know why, but my computer glitched with that.**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

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_"Hunger, revenge, to sleep are petty foes, but only death the jealous eyes can close."_

_-William Wycherley_


	56. The Battle Continues!

**Wolfy-tan: Hi viewers! Here's chapter 36!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 56: The Battle Continues! Where has Lucy Gone?_  
><strong>

Lucy and Crocodile began their fight. Lucy threw her elastic attacks at him while dodging his poisoned hook. They both stopped, catching their breath, and glared at each other.

"Rubber Bullet!" she yelled, charging at him and throwing her attack at her. He simply held out his right, hand, his face smug. She suddenly stopped her fist and thew a kick at him, catching him by surprise. But he managed to get out before it landed on him. He aimed his hook at her, and Lucy stepped back, her feet hitting the wall behind her, her left hand steadying her on the wall, and her right hand raised into a fist. She quickly set her feet back to the flooring. But she was too slow since the hook had grazed a previous wound. She watched as Crocodile's hook hit the rock behind where she was previously. She studied how the rock immediately melted under its touch. Crocodile smirked at her reaction of shock. Suddenly a large hunk of the ceiling crashed between them. The two broke the obstacle between them and continued their battle.

_'What kind of fighter is she?' _Cobra thought, but kept his face expressionless. _'Even the best fighters of the country, Crocodile beat, but this girl...'_ His thoughts were broken when he heard Crocodile's maniacal laugh again.

"Skewered, buried alive, dried up. You've been through all of that, yet you still stand up," he said. "But this time, you _won't_. The match is set. The poison is spreading through your body.

"You don't understand anything," Lucy said, her face slightly tensed from anger and annoyance.

~.~

"I've been looking for you guys for quite a while," Zoro said from atop the clock tower. "For quite a while."

"You're up there, two?" Usopp asked, as everyone sweat-dropped.

"So I climbed up here."

"What are you doing there?"

"Those marines told me to go north."

"North, or up there?" Usopp asked, pointing to the tower. "But that's good, keep climbing!"

"No," Vivi protested.

"What?" Usopp questioned, looking at her with surprise.

"From where they are, they can't enter into the inners," she explained. "To get there, you must use the stairs from the ground level."

"But Zoro can break those walls!" Usopp protested.

"But the cannon may not be able to take that much shock," Vivi added.

"Wait Vivi-!" but Nami didn't get to finish when another voice interrupted her.

"Hey! Do you understand, Mister Seven?" After that question, fits of laughter were heard, and everyone froze and looked up at the clock tower whose clock had opened up to two laughing Baroque workers.

"This is our last job," the girl from atop said.

"Baroque Works, middle class worker, Miss Father's Day! And Mister Seven!" Mister Seven announced.

"In this kind of situation..." Vivi said. "...Those two had to appear...!"

"Hey listen, Mister Seven," Miss Father's Day said. "I feel we are important characters."

"That's right, Miss Father's Day~!" Mister Seven replied.

"I wonder if we can get a promotion after this...what do you think?" she asked with a smirk.

"That would be awesome. So good, Miss Father's Day!" he exclaimed. "Because we're going to us such a big cannon toward the center of the crowd and...SHOOT! So good!" He finished with a laugh.

"It's time!" the Baroque girl exclaimed. "Ready to ignite!"

"Understood," he said.

~.~

"You said I..." Crocodile said. "Understand nothing?" Lucy charged at him again and threw another rubber punch at him, but he moved to the side, letting her fist hit a pillar that was behind him. Her feet skidded to a stop and she charged at him again and threw another punch. He barely made out of it in time. In fact, it had grazed him. He watched with shock as he watched another pillar, and a large part of the flooring, completely destroy from it. She was much stronger with her fist than one would imagine.

"Rubber Machine Gun!" she yelled, throwing her fists in a frenzy. He managed to slip from the attacks in time. Rocks crashed down between them again. Crocodile smirked as he panted.

"You still don't understand? You'll die soon from the poison," Crocodile said. Lucy began to hunch over, laying her hands on her knees, panting.

"Look, your body is starting to get numb," he stated. "No matter you win or lose, you'll be stuck under here. After three battles with me, it's a miracle you're still here." She threw another kick at him while he was ranting. He dodged yet again, causing a destroyed wall. Her feet hit the floor again, her palms hit the floor with her feet, and she panted heavily.

"Why do you still fight!" Crocodile demanded. Lucy looked up at him with an enraged face.

~.~

"Fifteen seconds until shooting!" Mister Seven exclaimed happily.

"Aimed at the center of the palace ground!" Miss Father's Day added. "Ignite!"

"Nami! What the hell are you trying to do!" Usopp demanded. "We don't have time! If we keep this up longer, everyone will die!" He was super confused. Nami had made Chopper climb on Usopp, and Vivi climb on Chopper. She also made him have a weird pose: squatting with his arms held out as if measuring wingspan.

"I know that, just stand there and don't move! I'm calculating!" Nami barked, her Clima Tact swung on her shoulder.

"Don't move? I don't even know the meaning of this pose!" Usopp exclaimed. "What are you planning to do!"

"After I do it, you'll know," she explained. "Here I come!"

"Hey, Mister Seven, let's do a countdown," Miss Father's Day suggested. He laughed.

"That sounds interesting," he responded. "Sounds good!"

"The weather forecast is 'Typhoon'!" Nami exclaimed, putting the rods of her Clima Tact in the shape of a cross.

"Thirteen seconds until shooting!" the Baroque duo shouted in unison.

"Cyclone Tempo!" Nami yelled, flinging the two rods that formed an "X".

"Oi! Cyclone Tempo is just a boomerang game for after parties," Usopp said.

"Make for the clock tower!" she yelled. The boomerang flung and hit Usopp where the sun don't shine. It flung him and the others up.

"Chopper! Jump to where Sanji-kun is!" Nami yelled from the ground.

"EH?" Chopper yelled.

"So this is the plan? Just keep jumping?" Vivi asked.

"Sanji, you know what to do next!" Nami yelled. "No time left!"

"I can guess," Sanji said. "I have to try."

"Sounds like we have no time to think," Vivi said. "I'm counting on you, Tony-kun!"

"Ah, I get it," Zoro said. With that, the rest of the plan fell into place. Sanji kicked the two up higher to Zoro's level. Zoro pushed them up with the blunt side of his sword. The Baroque duo looked down at them with smirks.

"We're found out!" Nami dramatically exclaimed, holding her head.

"Wait a sec...we're in the air! If they shoot at us...!" Zoro said.

~.~

"There shouldn't even be something you're seeking here!" Crocodile exclaimed. "If you're seeking revenge for Samuel, it's useless. Remember I wasn't even the one who killed him. That was Mister One, remember! So why are you doing this for someone else? What's the point of dying for someone else? If you just let one or two of your companions die, you wouldn't of even gotten involved. You fools."

"Like I said, you don't understand," Lucy said simply, sitting on the floor.

"Vivi, even though she keeps saying no death, she tries to throw away her own life to save others," Lucy said. "If we just left her, she'd die. She die because of you guys!"

"You don't understand, that's why I told you to leave those kinds of people to die so they won't bother you!" Crocodile countered.

"Rubber Machine Gun!" Lucy yelled, launching her attacks to him again. He dodged again.

~.~

"Listen here," Miss Father's Day said, pointing her gun. "Chances aren't easily gained!"

"Change position, yellow bullet!" Mister Seven added, pointing his gun. He laughed. "What a good target."

"You dare point a gun at Vivi?" Sanji yelled, but he really couldn't do anything since he was near crashing into the ground.

"No way! Those two are a sniper couple!" Vivi exclaimed. "Zoro-san! Just push us two up there! Tony-kun will think of a way to change the course!"

"What? HOW?" Chopper protested.

"Only seven seconds left!" Nami yelled. Usopp cried major anime tears.

"HURRY UP!" he yelled.

~.~

Lucy's knees hit to the ground, and the rest of her body followed their lead, her entire body thudding to the ground. Crocodile laughed hysterically.

"Keep talking! You can't even move your body anymore!" he exclaimed. "There is no return! This is your end!" Lucy lifted her arm and used it to push her body back up. His terrible laugh didn't end, continuing to ring in her ears. Did he know just how much it was affecting her? His voice seemed almost venomous as it enveloped her eardrums. It was as if his wicked voice itself is what was poisoning her, not his stupid hook. She tried to think of something, anything to get her mind away of that laugh. She then thought of a voice that filled her with joy every second she was with him.

Zoro.

She closed her eyes and pictured him. She felt her spirit building itself back up at the thought of him.

"What about now?" Crocodile asked, his smirk widening with every second. "Still think you can win?"

"No matter how much love you give to your companions, no matter how many times you block my plans, if you don't win this fight, it would've all been pointless! It doesn't matter if you don't die! You're a loser! I don't care about amateur pirates. Many worthless pirates like you are already dead."

~.~

"Chopper! Vivi! I will push you guys up!" Zoro yelled. The two weirdos shot at them, and Zoro shot them up just in time. The bullets, however, still went after Zoro.

"Our bullets..." Miss Father's Day began.

"Will explode by bumping each other!" Mister Seven finished. That was when the bullets bumped together, causing an explosion, and Zoro to cough up blood. Blood also spurted from his wounds at the explosive disruption. He thought he heard Nami and Chopper shout his name, but he felt so on the brink of unconsciousness from the pain that he didn't try to listen.

"That idiot has been smashed to ashes!" Sanji exclaimed to himself.

"Nice Style Killer Ball!" the duo shouted in unison, firing their guns at him, but Chopper suddenly jumped up -without Vivi on his back- and shot wrong out of surprise, but the two bullets still seemed to crash into each other, and Chopper shrank to his mini size to keep from getting hit. He practically spazzed when he heard the two bullets and explode behind him.

"Where did Miss Wednesday go?" Miss Father's Day asked in alarm.

"I don't like this!" Mister Seven exclaimed. Miss Father's Day looked up.

"Above!" she said to her partner.

"GO!" Nami and Usopp cheered at the top of their lungs.

"Peacock Blooming..." she muttered, readying her weapons. The duo's faces of shock and fear were priceless. Unfortunately Vivi didn't nearly have the time to be humored. "Ring Chain!" she shot her weapons at them, but they ducked in time to dodge. They smirked and pointed their guns at her. Miss Father's Day laughed.

"How pitiful!" she shouted.

"We evaded them!" Mister Seven joined, stating the obvious. Her expression remained cold.

"Counter Flow!" she exclaimed, striking them with her weapons. The two fell off the tower, falling toward the ground at a dangerous speed. But Vivi didn't focus on them. She rushed to the cannon, with only a second to stop it.

~.~

"It's over!" Crocodile exclaimed, his eyes showed arrogance in his said success and he wore his devilish smirk. He looked at his work with an evil pride. Lucy was heavily on the brink of unconsciousness, though whether it was from loss of blood, the poison or pure exhaustion, he didn't know, and Robin was unconscious, or dead, Crocodile hoped, as well.

"You are so low!" Cobra growled. Pure anger and hate flowed through his features. Crocodile merely chuckled.

"I wished you commented on how fully prepared I am, Cobra-san," Crocodile said, sarcasm tainting his voice. "It's a fight, after all. I should be prepared for everything. If the cannon fails to shoot, then the bomb will self-destruct a few seconds after! Although I can't set the angle, once it is locked, the death toll is quite high." He laughed maniacal again. Cobra was surprised how prepared, and barbaric, this man was for this battle.

~.~

"NO!" Vivi yelled down from the clock tower, completely perturbed at her new discovery. "THIS IS A TIME BOMB! IT WILL EXPLODE AT ANY TIME IF IT'S NOT DISABLED!" The Mugiwara crew looked up in pure shock.

"NANI?"

~.~

_Lucy looked around, confused as to where she was. All around her were crystals. They lit up brightly every time they lit, and they seemed to be singing, with a comforting, yet chilling voice. It was beautiful, nonetheless. She looked down. She wasn't wearing her regular clothing anymore. Instead she was wearing a pale blue ballgown dress, which was sleeveless._

'What is going on?'_ she thought to herself. _'Is this a dream?'

_That had to be it. There was no way she just magically appeared from the ancient underground temple in Alabasta to this weird, crystal place. Though she did admit it was very pretty. As she walked down the crystal path, she noticed that, since she was so short, the dress dragged down, almost like a train._

_Where is she?_

_~.~_

**Yup. Left you with a cliffhanger. :D Lucy's stuck in a mysterious crystal land! Just where is this place? You'll have to find out next chapter! It took me a few days to complete this chapter. Sorry about that. I'll try to update tomorrow. Remember to R&R! Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_**

**_angelvan105_**

**_EternalFire-IceDragon_**

**_Rejected-Starr_**

**_YunaKnightwriter97_**

**_mks 12 98_**

**_elric_**

_"Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds."_

_-George Santayanna_


	57. Crocodile is Beaten!

**Wolfy-tan: Hello viewers! Here's chapter 57!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**_Chapter 57: Crocodile is Beaten! The Queen of the Golden Wisps!_  
><strong>

_As Lucy walked down the crystal path, she grew more and more anxious. Suddenly, finally seeing more than a crystal path, she stopped. Now in front of her was a crystal gondola, but what interested her was on the gondola was a pedestal. She could tell there was something on the pedestal, but she couldn't make out what it was. Biting her lip, she ran up the stairs to the gondola eagerly. What she saw shocked her. She picked up the item on the pedestal, studying it carefully, seeing if it was real._

_It was her old dagger. Her knife she made back at the palace before the ate the Rubber Fruit. She remembered it clearly. She looked at every inch of it, but it was no use. It looked exactly the same. Every detail. It even had her initials she had carved neatly on the handle._

_It wasn't just an ordinary dagger. It was a dagger she had crafted, the blade made from one of the curled antlers of the rare Elfish Snow Deer, which Lucy had sharpened herself. The handle was made by the sacred wood of the Weeping Willows. On the end of the handle, there was a ruby studded neatly. And it was blessed by the Golden Wisps. No, this was definitely no ordinary dagger._

_But why was it here? Certainly it held no place in these crystal halls. But she was happy to be able to hold it again. It brought up pleasant memories. That was when she heard a sound similar to that of wind blowing behind her. She immediately put the dagger on the pedestal and turned around, expecting this all to be a trap and for a monster appear to ambush her. But something entirely different showed up. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw a golden woman appear. Most people in the spiritual, Phelmic world would bow to this woman, but, of course, knowing Lucy, she didn't. She simply stared at her.  
><em>

_"Why are you here?" Lucy asked in alarm, her anxiety increasing from the presence of this high titled woman. The woman simply laughed. Her voice reminded people of bells, just as Lucy had remembered._

_"Are you the one who brought me here?" Lucy questioned, if a bit on the rude side. "If so, why? What business would you want from me?" The golden woman simply smiled sweetly at her. Almost sickly sweet._

_"Now, now," she said. "Is that the hello I get after seeing you for so long?" Lucy was about to comment on it, but then stopped, bit her lip, and looked down in defeat._

_"What do you want from me?" she asked in a whispered tone. But the woman seemed to of caught her words. The woman smiled sadly at her, her eyes showing pity, which Lucy tried to ignore._

_"I sent you here to help you with your Prophecy," she said. Lucy's eyes widened in shock._

_"You _never_ pick sides," Lucy stated. She narrowed her eyes at her. "Why would the Queen of the Golden Wisps start now?" The queen sighed._

_"Atsuke has brought my wisps into this dispute between you two," she explained. "And I know you're a reliable girl who will defeat Atsuke, so you could have a chance at freeing my wisps." The queen walked up to the gondola and picked up Lucy's dagger, handing it to her._

_"Remember this, girl," the queen said. "You shall fight with rage and anger, but in the end, you must overcome your hate and stab him in the heart with purity. Think over these words, for they will bring you success. Now go, you must finish what you started with Crocodile." The queen disappeared, and Lucy felt the entire crystal cave tremble. The crystal began to break under her, falling to a dark eternity of falling. Frightened, Lucy ran down the crystal path when she saw a door. She sprinted to it, entering it just in time. Everything faded to white._

_~.~_

The Mugiwara crew stood, shocked.

"Damn!" Sanji cussed. "We stopped the cannon, but the bomb is..."

"It's a timed bomb?" Chopper exclaimed.

"If it's a five kilometer blast area, this whole town will..." Zoro said.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Usopp yelled. "YOU MEAN STOPPING THE BOMB WAS IMPOSSIBLE FROM THE BEGINNING?" Vivi slammed her fists on the cannon.

"We finally found and stopped it!" she exclaimed. "But he leaves another way to fire the bomb! When will he be satisfied with playing with lives? How much longer will he laugh at us?" His laughter rang in her ears. She screamed Crocodile's name with all the hate in her heart.

~.~

Lucy's eyes fluttered open and she stood up. She panted heavily, blood covered her completely. Yet she still managed to carry her weight. Crocodile's eyes widened like saucers. They soon switched to a glare, and he clenched his teeth from annoyance, shock, and anger.

"If it's just you...against me..." Lucy said, looking up at Crocodile with a death glare. Oh, if only looks could kill this battle would already be beaten. Blood flowed from her mouth.

"You cannot defeat me!" she exclaimed finally. He smirked.

"You could barely speak those words," he pointed out. He looked at her bleeding figure.

"Heh, that looks suits you: pathetic. How can you still say such things?" his smirked widened.

"Because I will become the Queen of the Pirates!" Lucy yelled.

"If you really understood how harsh the sea is, you wouldn't say thing like that!" Crocodile spat. "I said it before before, weaklings like you are all over the sea!" He rushed over to her, attempting to stab her with his hook. She jumped up and slammed it with her foot, causing the hook to break off.

"I will just...exceed you," Lucy said simply. She held an expression she never wore before. It held determination and hate, no doubt about that, but it seemed as if she was annoyed, and tired. Not tired as in fatigue. Tired as in she was tired of the repetition of their battles, and she wanted to end it. She wanted vengeance. She wanted closure.

And she was going to get it.

~.~

"Did you see that?" Usopp asked, everyone looking up at the sky. They saw a familiarly large bird fly above them and land in the clock tower.

"It's that damn bird..." Zoro said, recognizing Pell.

"This place holds a lot of memories," said a slightly nostalgic Pell. "The Suna Suna Clan's secret base...really, you were such a noisy child back then. You gave me a headache almost everyday.

"Pell, listen!" Vivi exclaimed. "It's a time bomb! It's going to explode soon!" Pell stood there, memories washing over him.

"Princess Vivi," he said. "I was very pleased that I was able to serve the Nefertari family. It's something from the depths of my heart...that I'm proud of." He smiled with pride. He turned into his bird form and used his talons to grad the bomb and drag it out with the all the strength he had left. He flew out of the clock tower with it in his grasp. He flew as far up as he could. An ear-blasting explosion was heard. Though the town wasn't hurt from it since it was so far up, there was still a large wave emitted from it, basically knocking everyone off their feet from the sudden impact.

"That bastard...why..." Sanji uttered, practically speechless. Zoro remained silent, staring at the sky, where the Zoan once was.

"In order to protect his country, he..." Nami said silently. Chopper and Usopp looked behind them. Their eyes widened like saucers.

"Oi," Usopp managed to say. "Can't be...!" They saw everyone continue to fight in a frenzy. They had lost all of their control. Everyone looked to where the two gazed, and they had similar reactions.

"STOP FIGHTING!" Vivi pleaded from the top of the clock tower. "EVERYONE! PLEASE, JUST STOP FIGHTING!" She continued yelling her pleas. She refused to stop.

"Vivi..." Zoro muttered.

"She tries so hard..." Nami said, tears starting to swell in her eyes.

~.~

Lucy continued fighting Lucy, bringing Crocodile to his limit. She sent a hard punch to his torso, and while he was distracted with that pain, she successfully sent a kick his head. Before he could react to the punch, she stretched her arm back and punched his head into the rock.

_'The poison from the scorpion should be working now,' _he managed to think, which was hard considering how hard his head was previously pounded into the rock._ 'How does this kid still have so much power?' _He replaced what was left from his broken off hook with a hidden knife and swung it at Lucy, trying to catch her by surprise. She merely ducked and kicked him up, sending him to the air. He smirked.

"You will disappear with this temple now!" he exclaimed. "Desert Scenery: Extreme Erosion!" Sand spun around with destructive force, and Lucy put her arms in front of her face in attempt to shield herself. She planted her feet to the ground,trying to keep her from wavering. She managed to completely fill herself with air and she twisted herself around, so when she released all the air, she went flying up to Crocodile.

"Rubber Storm!"

"Sand Razor Blades!"

Crocodile sent sand at Lucy that looked like razor blades -and sharp like them-, but Lucy threw out punches like Rubber Machine Gun, except it did even more damaging, breaking the sand blades with ease and seemed much more frenzied than Machine Gun. Her fists pounded Crocodile endlessly, and mercilessly. She pounded so far, that she broke the ceiling and the earth between the ground and the temple, sending Crocodile to the air.

Lucy smiled as she fell back down to the destroyed temple.

~.~

The Mugiwara crew continued fighting in attempt to stop everyone from fighting, when Sanji looked up.

"OI!" he yelled to his crew mates. He pointed to a silhouette in the sky. "Look at that!" They all paused at their brawling and looked up. The silhouette became clear.

"CROCODILE?" they all exclaimed together...except for Zoro, of course.

~.~

"How's that possible?" Cobra asked himself in amazement, looking at all the rock Lucy destroyed that left a huge hole.

"There's so many layers of rock...!"

~.~

"We don't know where he come out from, but..." Sanji was cut off by Usopp.

"That doesn't matter, we know...!" Usopp said, the excitement building up in him with every word he said. "HE WON!"

That was when rain began to fall.

"EVERYONE, PLEASE...STOP FIGHTING!" Vivi yelled. Everyone paused and looked up to her. They finally heard her voice. "The rain right now will fall like before, because the nightmare has ended!"

~.~

"I will have to thank you," Cobra said. Lucy giggled as she laid on the temple ground.

"No need~!" she responded. She didn't need a thank you, since she had achieved something for both her and for Alubarna. One of the widest grins ever was etched across her face.

_Some Time Later..._

"...Who are you?" Cobra asked cautiously.

"Err, that girl on your back...is one of our friends," Sanji said awkwardly. "Thanks for carrying her, let's switch."

"So you're the pirate group that brought Vivi back..." Cobra stated. Sanji looked at Cobra in confusion.

"Who are you...?"

"Everyone!" they heard a familiar voice say. Vivi looked over to see her father.

"Papa!" she exclaimed.

"PAPA?" Sanji exclaimed. "You're Vivi's...DAD?"

"You're the king?" Zoro asked, much more calmly than the cook. He set the girl in down. She slept soundly, a calm expression on her face, which Zoro found angelic, but he didn't admit it. Cobra began explaining how everything went in the temple, only giving the necessary details to avoid certain questions.

"I thought I was dead for sure, but this girl saved me," Cobra explained. "Even after fighting with Crocodile, she carried two people to surface...such unbelievable power."

"Does that mean the poison is gone by now?" Usopp asked, putting his hands on his hips, looking at the slumbering gilrl.

"Hmm...the poison should be neutralized by now," Chopper responded. "But her wounds should be treated. You guys, too."

With that, the Mugiwara crew managed to convince the king and his daughter to head back to sort the situation. Once they were out of sight, the others collapsed and fell asleep, one rested next to his beautiful captain.

~.~

**The fighting's over! And you all know what that means! It means the next chapter has some fluff in it! ZoLu fluff! :DDDDD See you next time! R&R! Peace out, viewers!**

**THANKS FOR REVIEWING THE LAST CHAPTER:**

**_Pen-Woman_  
><strong>

**_Tsukiyomi_**

**_Eclipse103_**

**_angelvan105_**

**_EternalFire-IceDragon_**

**_mks 12 98_**

**_YunaKnightwriter97_**

**_Bluefire8888_**

**_IndigoButterfly_**

_"We all lose somebody we care about and want to find some comforting way of dealing with it, something that will give us a little closure, a little peace."_

_-Mitch Albom_


	58. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hey, guys. Been a while, hasn't it? Yeah...sorry, seems I took another hiatus. Things got pretty rough around when I stopped updating, but I've been trying to sort them out. I'm trying to get back on track with this story now. I'm not going to be updating new chapters right away, but first I want to edit the chapters I have. Until then, I have a preview of sorts for the next chapter, but I'll probably change it a lot when I'm done editing the other chapters. Here it is:**

Lucy woke up and stretched with a smile. She looked around to see Vivi, Chopper, Usopp, Nami, and Sanji in the room with her.

"Where's my hat?" she immediately asked.

"Here, Lucy~!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes as he gave his captain her hat. She grinned at him.

"Thank ya, Sanji!" she exclaimed, putting it on.

"No problem, Lucy~!" he responded before sitting back down.

"Lucy-san, it's so good to see you in high spirits," Vivi smiled.

"High spirits? I'm like that all the time, aren't I?" Lucy asked innocently.

"Baka," Nami said, organizing her new books on what Lucy guessed was navigation. "You had a high fever and your condition was very serious!"

"Really?" she asked, but on the inside she wasn't that surprised. "Thanks for taking care of me!"

"Our pleasure, Lucy~!" Sanji exclaimed. Lucy heard the door creak and saw a familiar green-haired man walk in.

"Zoro!" she exclaimed. Before he could react, she got up and wrapped her arms around his waist. Zoro immediately started blushing furiously and trying to pry her off. Not because he wasn't used to it, but because everyone was here, and they were staring...

"L-Let go of me, Lucy!" he exclaimed, finally ripping her apart from him. She pouted, which he thought was absolutely adorable...not that he would say that out loud. He kept a fake irritated face on. When she saw that her pout wasn't working, she hopped back into bed, obviously disappointed. She gave him her puppy eyes from the bed, but he tried not to look at her. His face was still a light pink, Sanji was about to strangle Zoro for getting her attention, Chopper was confused, and Nami and Vivi were holding back laughter. Nami let out a snicker by accident, but no one took notice to it. Then Chopper's face suddenly changed from confused to panicky in a second.

"Don't tell me you went training again!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong, it's my problem," he grumbled. By now the heat had left his face.

"No is a no! I'm the ship doctor!" Chopper exclaimed. "Don't take off the bandage!"

"It's hard to move that way!"

"That's the point!"

While the two were spatting, Nami began to explain to Lucy everything that happened after her fight...or what they knew happened, that is. She also told her how long she was asleep, which she did not react to well.

"I've been asleep for three days?!" Lucy exclaimed. "I missed fifteen meals!"

"How come you count those kind of things so fast?" Nami asked with a sweat-drop.

"And she counted five meals a day..." Usopp added. Vivi giggled.

"I already asked for dinner to dinner to be prepared, so don't worry!" Vivi said, grinning. Then the door burst open, revealing a familiar(?) face.

"Mister! You're alive?!" Lucy yelled, seeing the person she believed to be Igaram. Everyone else thought it was Igaram too, so it caused genuine confusion again when 'he' was 'cross-dressing' again. Before an even bigger misunderstanding opened up, Vivi explained that this was Igaram's wife, Terracotta, and how she was the head servant. She thanked the crew for helping Igaram and Vivi.

"I heard that one of you eats a lot before dinner; please enjoy these fruit first, okay?" Terracotta finished.

"I understand," Lucy said, eating the food before it even got near her.

...

_MAGIC? _Everyone thought together.

"Miss, I want three days worth of food!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I have worked for thirty years, I won't disappoint your appetite, just eat all your fill!" With that, Terracotta left finish the preparations.

"You guys go ahead, I have something to take care of!" Lucy said with a grin. Everyone was surprised at that. Usually Lucy let nothing go before food in her list of important things. But they let it slide, assuming it had something to do with her just waking up, and left. Zoro was last, casting Lucy a wary but concerned glance before heading out. Lucy's eyes immediately lost their cheerfulness once they were all gone, now narrowed in seriousness. Her hand crept under her pillow and felt a wooden texture under her fingertips.

'Bingo' she thought, grabbing it and inspecting it. The dagger. She stared at it. She was no longer that girl who laughed at the simplest things...no, not with that man still alive. With this in her hand and her thoughts returning to her past, it was impossible to smile or laugh. She just couldn't do it. She looked around. Nami had laid an outfit for her, which Lucy found courteous, considering she didn't want to stay in these restricting clothes for too long. She quickly changed into a red tank top and jean short shorts. She tucked the dagger between her inner thigh and the cloth of her shorts, where it remained well hidden, and stuck on her straw sandals. Figuring it's rude to wear a hat inside the house, she let is dangle around her neck. She set off to dinner and sat with her nakama...but the vision she had really didn't bode well with her. Still, she tried to be her usual self, but she didn't eat much that dinner; which is something only Zoro noticed through all the loud ruckus of it all.

~.~

Everyone was going out to bathe after showering. Lucy and the girls had just gotten out from the showers, so she was now meeting with Nami and Vivi at the female bath house. The three hung out and talked for a bit, but Lucy soon separated from them to go and sit by the water, dipping her feet.

She knew she was out of earshot from the other two, so she let out a breath. Don't get her wrong, she loved those two; they were almost sisters to her, but she just couldn't handle being by the two of them for too long. She felt too different from them, as if they had a whole different level of femininity that she would never grasp. Maybe Lucy was just too tomboy. She never thought much of fashion or money or...dare she say it...falling in love with someone. She didn't know how that felt, and it was never something she tried at as a kid, considering she was never given the chance...

**That's it for now. Be ready when I update the full chapter!**


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